Department for Transport

Aviation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials employed in his Department since June 2016 have substantial experience of bilateral aviation negotiations and agreements.

Mr John Hayes: My Department has many years’ worth of experience and is well prepared for aviation negotiations and concluding agreements. Negotiating teams draw on wide policy and technical expertise, backed by legal advisors, as well as potential contributions from other relevant organisations such as the CAA, and often in close collaboration with industry experts from airlines and airports.

A417

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the feasibility studies for the A417 missing link.

Jesse Norman: Highways England is developing its proposals that consider both the environmental sensitivity of the site and the importance of the route. An options consultation is to take place in the coming months.

Heathrow Airport

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of surface transport improvements to the rail and road network required for the expansion of Heathrow Airport to comply with environmental requirements set out in the final report of the Airports Commission, published in July 2015.

Mr John Hayes: The Airports Commission estimated that the potential costs of the surface access provision for a northwest runway at Heathrow were around £5bn but recognised that the finalised details, and therefore costs, would be determined as part of the statutory planning process. Heathrow Airport Limited have committed to meet the costs of any surface access proposals that are essential to deliver airport expansion including works on the M25, the A4 and the A3044. Where proposed surface access projects have wider beneficiaries, such as the Western Rail and Southern Rail proposals, the Government will consider funding a proportion based on benefits for airport users and other beneficiaries in line with our Aviation Policy Framework. The Government has been clear that as part of any planning application the promoter will need to set out in detail how it would achieve the environmental targets set out in the draft National Policy Statement as part of its plans for mitigating the impact of expansion.

Crossrail 2 Line

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of Crossrail 2 to national economic growth.

Paul Maynard: The Government is considering the Crossrail 2 Strategic Outline Business Case, submitted by Transport for London, to determine whether the proposed scheme delivers value for money to the UK taxpayer. The approach is consistent with the HM Treasury Green Book guidance and focusses on the use of cost benefit (welfare) analysis to determine value for money. This captures the expected economic, environmental and social impacts of the scheme on the UK.

Crossrail 2 Line

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of Crossrail 2 to national economic growth in each region of the UK.

Paul Maynard: The Government is considering the Crossrail 2 Strategic Outline Business Case, submitted by Transport for London, to determine whether the proposed scheme delivers value for money to the UK taxpayer. The approach is consistent with the HM Treasury Green Book guidance and focusses on the use of cost benefit (welfare) analysis to determine value for money. This captures the expected economic, environmental and social impacts of the scheme on the UK.

Road Traffic: Greater Manchester

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of congestion on roads in (a) Bolton and (b) Wigan.

Jesse Norman: The Department has not made an assessment of the trends in the level of congestion on all roads in (a) Bolton and (b) Wigan. Information is held on average delay on locally managed ‘A’ roads and the most recent data provided by the Department is as follows. CGN0502b: Average delay on locally managed ‘A’ roads by local authority Average delay (seconds per vehicle per mile)  20152016% change Bolton 58.557.6-1.6Wigan 58.558.50.0 England 44.645.9+2.8 Average delay is commonly used as a measure of relative congestion. A decrease in average delay indicates a reduction in the level of congestion.These statistics are the most up to date figures published by the Department and come from the table CGN0502b, which is published annually in February. The full table can be accessed using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/average-speed-and-delay-on-local-a-roads-cgn05#table-cgn0502. The Department does not produce statistics for congestion at the local authority level for the Strategic Road Network or for minor roads. Highways England keeps the trunk road and motorway network in England under constant review, but has made no recent specific assessment of trends in the level of congestion through Bolton and Wigan.

High Speed Two: Redundancy Pay

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when and by whom his Department was informed that unauthorised redundancy payments of £1.76 million had been paid out by HS2 Ltd.

Paul Maynard: The Department was first notified of a potential issue around the HS2 redundancy schemes during the course of the NAO audit. In producing their report, the NAO required access to confidential redundancy data. The full extent of the issue was not identified until their work was completed in July 2017.

High Speed Two: Redundancy Pay

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the job titles were of former HS2 Ltd employees who received unauthorised redundancy payments; and what the amount and date paid was of each such payment.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd does not intend to publish details of the individuals that received the payments because they would have a reasonable expectation that their information would remain confidential. Disclosure of this information would be in breach of the first principle of the Data Protection Act 1998. The company accepts that the failure to obtain approval to make the payments was the responsibility of HS2 Ltd not the individuals who received them.

High Speed Two: Redundancy Pay

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements have been made to recover unauthorised redundancy payments made by HS2 Ltd from recipients.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd have a legal obligation to honour the unauthorised redundancy payments made to individuals who were employed and will be not seeking their recovery. HS2 Ltd will manage these payments within their existing budgets and as such the Department for Transport will not be providing any additional funds to cover these costs.

Government Car Service: Exhaust Emissions

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of vehicles in the Government car service are ultra-low emission vehicles.

Mr John Hayes: Currently 8.33% of the Government Car Service fleet are ultra-low emission vehicles. This consists of six Nissan LEAF electric and one Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell. By way of context, across the whole of the UK around 1.5% of 2017 new car registrations were ultra-low emission vehicles registrations (up to September 2017). In addition, 25% of the fleet are petrol hybrid vehicles.

Tolls: Greater London

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of vehicles that will pay the T-Charge in central London each week in the first full year of operating the new emissions surcharge.

Jesse Norman: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London. Any estimates of the number of vehicles which will have to pay an emissions charge would be a matter for the Mayor to determine.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to release the outcome of the consultation on the site of the High Speed 2 depot on the eastern leg of its route.

Paul Maynard: The consultation on the location for the HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg Rolling Stock Depot closed on the 12th October 2017. The responses are currently being analysed. Based on the findings, HS2 Ltd will provide advice to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State will make his decision as soon as possible after receiving this advice.

High Speed Two: Redundancy Pay

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the position and dates of employment by HS2 Ltd are of all former High Speed 2 staff who have received redundancy payments.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd does not intend to publish details of the individuals that received the payments because they would have a reasonable expectation that their information would remain confidential. Disclosure of this information would be in breach of the first principle of the Data Protection Act 1998. The company accepts that the failure to obtain approval to make the payments was the responsibility of HS2 Ltd not the individuals who received them.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2017 to Question 108497, if his Department will undertake a study into journey times between Leigh and local High Speed 2 stations; and how such times can be reduced.

Paul Maynard: Greater Manchester Combined Authority, in conjunction with the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership, are best placed to develop schemes to improve local connectivity. To that end, the government has provided Greater Manchester with £2,500,000 to develop their HS2 Growth Strategies, which will look at the transport requirements for making the most of HS2. The government will continue to work with Greater Manchester to help deliver these plans.

High Speed Two: Public Appointments

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who has sat on the (a) Exceptions, (b) People and (c) Management Panel of High Speed 2; and between what dates each such person served on those panels.

Paul Maynard: The HS2 Ltd People Panel was constituted in 2014 and its responsibilities were transferred into the Management Panel in 2016. The People Panel was chaired by the HR Director, membership included Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer, Programme and Strategy Director, Phase Two Managing Director, Railway Operations Managing Director, Technical Director, Phase One Managing Director, Corporate Health and Safety Director and Organisational Effectiveness & Change Director. The Management Panel was constituted in 2016 and its responsibilities were transferred to other Executive meetings as part of the company’s Governance review in 2017. The Panel was chaired by the Chief Financial Officer, membership included General Counsel & Company Secretary, Corporate Health and Safety Director, HR Director, Organisational Effectiveness & Change Director, Corporate Affairs Director, alongside four other staff members from the CEO office, Phase One, Phase Two and Railway Operations. The HS2 Ltd Exceptions Panel was chaired by the HR Director, membership included the Technical Director, Corporate Health and Safety Director and senior staff members from Finance, HR and Organisational Effectiveness and Change.

Home Office

Passports

Kevin Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provisions she has put in place for people who grew up in care and are unable to provide a birth certificate when applying for a passport.

Brandon Lewis: Her Majesty’s Passport Office (HM Passport Office) needs to be satisfied with an applicant’s claim to nationality, identity and entitlement to issue a passport. The absence of a birth certificate in itself does not preclude the issue of a passport and applications are assessed on a case by case basis considering the information and alternative documents available.Where no documentation is available, there is provision within the British Nationality legislation for a person to register as a British citizen, this will depend on the requirements for registration.If the enquiry relates to a specific case, I would encourage my honourable friend from Torbay to write to HM Passport Office to discuss how the matter can be resolved.

Domestic Violence

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of recent trends in domestic violence offences; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that there was an 18% increase in domestic abuse related offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in the year to June 2017. ONS identify better recording and increased victim confidence as likely behind this rise. At the same time, the long-term trend on the prevalence of domestic abuse, as measured by the Crime Survey of England and Wales, is downward, with the latest estimate from the Crime Survey being the lowest since the series began.However, despite this progress, the Crime Survey still estimates that there are approximately 2 million victims a year. That’s why this Government will bring forward a landmark Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill to transform our approach to domestic abuse to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in the knowledge that the state and the justice system will support them.

UK Border Force: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding her Department has allocated to the Border Force; and how many people have been employed by that agency in each year since 2012.

Brandon Lewis: Border Force Funding can be found in the Core data tables:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/628157/Core_data_tables_2016-17.xlsxPeople employed in Border Force since 2012 which can be found in the Annual Report and Accounts:16-17 Page 66 - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627853/ho_annual_report_and_accounts_2016_2017.pdf15-16 Page 86 –https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539638/HO_AR_16_gov.pdf14-15 Page 120 –https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441284/HO_AR_14-15_print.pdf13-14 Page 106 - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321446/ARA_web_enabled_18_June.pdf12-13 Page 125 - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210660/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_FINAL_updated_logo.pdf

Mental Health Services: Stun Guns

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the use of tasers in mental health units; and whether this information will be collected as part of her Department's new requirement for police forces to record and publish data on their officers' use of force.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that appropriate local mechanisms have been implemented to scrutinise the use of tasers in mental health settings; and if she will set out the arrangements in each local area.

Mr Nick Hurd: In recognition of the importance of ensuring transparency in how police forces use force, particularly against vulnerable people, the Government asked the police to lead the Use of Force Data Review, which recommended that police forces record and publish a range of data each time force is used, including the reason force was used, injury data, the gender, ethnicity and age of the subject involved, and the location and outcome of the incident. This includes the use of Taser, and use of force in mental health settings.These recommendations were welcomed by the former Home Secretary, and the former Minister for Policing and the Fire Service made a Written Ministerial Statement on 2 March 2017 announcing the implementation of the recommendations, with police forces commencing recording in April this year. Police forces are now publishing their data locally, and a subset of the data will be provided to the Home Office as part of the Annual Data Requirement 2017/18. The Home Office will publish an annual report on this data in summer 2018.As well as the national use of force recording system, the former Minister for Policing and the Fire Service wrote to each Police and Crime Commissioner, Chief Constable and Chair of local Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat Partnerships on 1 November 2016 to ask them to make arrangements for the joint identification and scrutiny of any use of Taser in a mental health setting in their areas. It is a matter for local partnerships to determine the most appropriate arrangements for doing so and this information is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Domestic Violence: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of children growing up in homes which are experiencing domestic violence in each region and nation of the UK.

Sarah Newton: We know from various studies that around 1 in 5 children in the UK will have been exposed to domestic abuse. In addition, data published by the Office for National Statistics on childhood experience of abuse shows that children who witness domestic abuse are more likely to experience domestic abuse as an adult.The Queen’s Speech set out that we would bring forward legislation to protect victims of domestic abuse, and committed to ensuring that if abusive behaviour involves a child, then the court can hand down a sentence that reflects the devastating life-long impact that abuse has on the child.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2017 to Question 108450, on police: finance; if she will publish the number of unsuccessful bids to the Police Transformation Fund and the value of each unsuccessful bid.

Mr Nick Hurd: Details of the Police Transformation Fund awards from the three bidding rounds have been published at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-transformation-fund-successful-bids-2017-to-2018 and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-transformation-fund-successful-bids-2016-to-2017.

Refugees: France

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will ensure that all refugees in France refused transfer to the UK are informed that their application for transfer has been refused.

Brandon Lewis: The UK’s international obligations do not extend to considering applications to transfer refugee status made abroad and there is no provision in the Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK for that purpose.Under the terms of the European Agreement on the Transfer of Responsibility for Refugees (EATRR), we consider applications for transfer of refugee status from those who have been lawfully resident in the UK for at least two years, providing the country which recognised the applicant as a refugee has ratified the EATRR.

Refugees: Northern Ireland

Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the transfer of the next tranche of funding to Northern Ireland under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme; and what the amount of that funding will be.

Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been allocated to Northern Ireland under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to date.

Brandon Lewis: The government provides funding to all local authorities participating in the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.The funding allocated to local authorities is provided on a per capita basis, with tariff amounts and payment terms clearly set-out in the scheme’s funding instructions. The first 12 months of a refugee's resettlement costs are funded by central government using the Official Development Assistance budget. There is also an exceptional cases fund to assist the most vulnerable refugees.

College of Policing: Public Appointments

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the interview for the new Chair of the College of Policing took place; and when the successful candidate for that role will be announced.

Mr Nick Hurd: Interviews for the Chair for the College of Policing have recently taken place. A successful candidate will be announced in due course.

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of attacks or assaults on people involving acid in each of the last five years; and what steps she is taking to prevent such attacks.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office does not hold the information requested and does not specifically collect data from police forces on acid and other corrosive attacks as part of its regular data collection. Acid and other corrosive attacks resulting in injury are included in Office for National Statistics published statistics within assault with injury offences and assault with intent to cause serious harm offences, but cannot be disaggregated.The National Police Chiefs’ Council undertook a voluntary data collection from police forces between November 2016 and April 2017 and 39 forces provided returns. This found that there had been 408 cases of attacks in the six month period. These figures must be treated with caution, as they are not official statistics and have not been subject to the usual assurance processes. We are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on what action can be taken to improve recording and a further data collection is underway.In July the Home Secretary announced an action plan to tackle the use of acid and other corrosives in violent attacks. This is based on four key strands: ensuring effective support for victims and survivors; effective policing; ensuring that relevant legislation is understood and consistently applied, and restricting access to acids and other harmful products. We are continuing to progress the plan.In addition, we are currently consulting on proposals to prohibit the sale of products containing the most harmful corrosive substances to under 18s, create a new offence of possession of a corrosive substance in a public place without good reason and create a minimum custodial sentence for those convicted of a second or subsequent possession offence. We have also announced our intention to make sulphuric acid a regulated substance under Schedule 1a to the Poisons Act 1972. This would mean you will need to have a licence to purchase sulphuric acid above a certain concentration.

Cybercrime: Surveys

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2017 to Question 108158, which external companies are involved in the administration or operation of the National Cyber Security Tracker survey.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The National Cyber Security Tracker survey is administered by Ipsos MORI.

Asylum

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions her Department has had with its French counterpart on plans in place to provide shelter and help to refugees who may have a legal right to claim asylum in the UK who are currently residing in the Grande Synthe refugee camp in Dunkirk.

Brandon Lewis: The provision of accommodation for asylum-seekers in France is a matter for the French authorities. The UK has regular engagement at ministerial and senior official level with the French authorities regarding the situation in Northern France, including the provision of accommodation for asylum-seekers. French officials are clear that everyone has the right to claim asylum in France.In addition to the existing welcome centres across France, France has recently opened four new centres, away from the Grande Synthe area, where those wishing to claim asylum will be supported through the asylum process. There is regular transportation from Grande Synthe to these centres for those wishing to claim asylum.Under the Dublin Regulation, France may make a request to the UK to take responsibility for an asylum claim where the relevant criteria are met. This requires an asylum claim to first be made in France and a take charge request made of the UK. We continue to work closely with the French authorities to ensure the quick and effective operation of the Dublin Regulation.

Visas: Skilled Workers

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to ensure that UK Visas and Immigration has an adequate number of staff to process Tier 2 visa applications when the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office currently processes several million immigration decisions each year and takes steps to ensure that the necessary resources are provided to process applications. The Home Office has well-developed processes for modelling operational demand that will be used as appropriate to support internal capacity planning.

Refugees: Families

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the refugee family reunion rules on the capacity of refugees to integrate fully in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: We support the principle of family unity and recognise that reuniting refugees in the UK with their immediate family can help with the integration process by providing support to participate in the economic, social, cultural, civil and political life of this country.Our family reunion policy has seen over 24,000 family reunion visas granted in the last five years.Refugees and those who benefit from family reunion visas are entitled to broadly the same rights and benefits as British citizens, including access to the labour market and mainstream benefits to support their integration. Refugees are also able to apply for an integration loan.

Refugees: Families

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for family reunion visas under part 11 of the Immigration Rules were granted outside of those rules in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016.

Brandon Lewis: The specific information you have requested is not currently published.Published statistics on visa applications in the Family category can be found online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/638590/entry-visas1-apr-jun-2017-tables.ods

Slavery

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an assessment of the (a) number and (b) types of calls made to the modern slavery helpline has been made since that helpline was established.

Sarah Newton: The Modern Slavery Helpline is operated by an organisation called Unseen, and is completely independent of Government.Information about the number and types of calls received by the Modern Slavery Helpline can be found on the Unseen website www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/information/stats

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Intellectual Property

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Intellectual Property Office plans to publish its recommendations on registered and unregistered designs infringement.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 26 October 2017



UK design law was reviewed in 2011-13, following the publication of Ian Hargreaves’ review Digital Opportunity: a review of intellectual property and growth. Intentional copying of a registered design was made a criminal offence by the Intellectual Property Act 2014. The Government has no current plans to review the law on registered and unregistered designs infringement.

Iron and Steel: China

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent the dumping of Chinese steel in the UK.

Claire Perry: We recognise the problems caused by dumped steel imports which are a direct result of chronic global overcapacity, particularly in the Chinese steel industry. We are actively working with our G20 partners - including China - through the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity to tackle this problem. The Forum will ensure greater transparency around steel capacity and better information exchange between countries.We have also worked closely with the EU and the European Commission ensuring effective protection for UK steel producers - there are currently 45 trade defence instruments for steel in place within the EU.

New Businesses

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish Professor Tim Dafforn's review of entrepreneurship; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Professor Tim Dafforn’s review of entrepreneurship is supporting the development of the Industrial Strategy white paper which will be published later this year.

Iron and Steel: China

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to prevent the dumping of Chinese steel in the UK when the UK leaves the EU.

Claire Perry: We recognise the problems caused by dumped steel imports which are a direct result of chronic global overcapacity, particularly in the Chinese steel industry. We are actively working with our G20 partners - including China - through the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity to tackle this problem. The Forum will ensure greater transparency around steel capacity and better information exchange between countries.We have also worked closely with the EU and the European Commission ensuring effective protection for UK steel producers - there are currently 45 trade defence instruments for steel in place within the EU.We are preparing a UK trade remedies framework for when we leave the EU that will enable the UK to be a leading proponent for free trade while providing a safety net for its industries against unfair trading practices.

Companies: Scotland

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which UK-based Trust and Company Service Providers have incorporated more than 20 Scottish Limited Partnerships.

Margot James: It is not a legal requirement for Trust and Company Service Providers to provide their information and many of them choose not to. As the information Companies House possesses is not complete, I have asked the Registrar of Companies to reply to the Right Hon. Member separately with the information the Registrar has available to her and with a full explanation on how it has been arrived at.

Minimum Wage

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to section 5.3.7 of his Department's policy document, National Minimum Wage Law: Enforcement, if he will make it his policy to maintain a full public register of employers who have been named under the naming and shaming scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Department has no plans to change the current naming policy.The information of those who have been named is available within the relevant press announcements on GOV.UK.

Supply Teachers: Conditions of Employment

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published in July 2017, what steps he is taking to ensure that supply teachers are given more secure terms and conditions.

Margot James: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices was a large and comprehensive report which deserves considerable thought before the Government responds.Although the report didn’t make specific recommendations on supply teachers, Matthew Taylor did make a number of recommendations relating to agency workers and atypical working, including improving the transparency of information which must be provided to agency workers and changes to the enforcement regime for the Agency Workers Directive.We are currently considering all the recommendations and will respond to the Review in due course.

Gratuities

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for the publication of his Department's response to the 2016 consultation into tipping, gratuities, cover and service charges.

Margot James: The Government is currently considering next steps in light of responses to the consultation.

Fracking: Ryedale

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what correspondence he has had with Third Energy on its application for hydraulic fracturing consent for the KM8 wellsite in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.

Richard Harrington: Officials have met with Third Energy to discuss their application.

Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department requires that the levels of methane in groundwater must have been monitored for a full 12-month period before hydraulic fracturing can begin.

Richard Harrington: Where an application is made, the department requires that the level of methane in groundwater has, or will have, been monitored in the period of 12 months before hydraulic fracturing begins.

Energy: Debts

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 108128, on energy: debts, what steps his Department is taking to support vulnerable consumers with debts associated with unpaid energy bills.

Margot James: Ofgem’s Standard Licence Condition 27 requires suppliers to offer customers experiencing difficulties paying their energy bills the following:A means where payment may be deducted at source from benefits received by that customer;Regular instalments paid through a means other than a prepayment meter - taking all reasonable steps to ascertain the customer’s ability to pay; andUsing a prepayment meter, where it is safe and reasonably practicable in all the circumstances of the case for the Domestic Customer to do so, and taking all reasonable steps to ascertain the customer’s ability to pay. Meanwhile, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy continues to work closely with the Regulator on initiatives such as removing barriers that vulnerable customers face in switching to cheaper suppliers.

Fracking: Ryedale

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 108327, on fracking: Ryedale, if he will make it his policy to make a draft preferred decision with reasons public at least 10 working days before formally responding to the application for hydraulic fracturing consent for the KM8 wellsite in Ryedale, North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Department plans to publish its response to the application for hydraulic fracturing consent for the KM8 wellsite in Ryedale, once the decision has been made.

Government Assistance

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming state aid rules when the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The Government is aware that the EU negotiating mandate explicitly refers to state aid in the context of any future trade agreement between the EU and UK. This future relationship is subject to negotiation.While the Government cannot speculate on outcomes at this stage, any future regime will be based on the principles of open markets and fair competition. As my Right Hon Friend the Prime Minister made clear in her speech in Florence “it would be a serious mistake to try to beat other countries’ industries by unfairly subsidising one’s own”.

Nuclear Power: Skilled Workers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to attract qualified and experienced people into the nuclear sector.

Richard Harrington: The Government is working collaboratively with industry and skills bodies, including through the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group, to ensure the nuclear industry has access to the skills it needs. A particular focus of its activities is around reviewing barriers to entry into the industry and making it easier to attract qualified and experienced people from other sectors. In addition the Nuclear Industry Council which I co-chair, with Lord Hutton the Chair of Nuclear Industry Association, is currently in discussions with Government over a possible nuclear sector deal.

Gratuities

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to respond to the recommendations of his Department's consultation on tips, gratuities, service and other charges; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Government is currently considering next steps in light of responses to the consultation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Margot James: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the EU, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a holistic programme of analysis across government.

Fracking

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Prime Minister, Official Report, column 300, of 25 October 2017, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the proposals to be brought to Parliament on fracking.

Richard Harrington: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister around matters of energy policy.

Consumers: Protection

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he plans to publish the Consumer Green Paper.

Margot James: The Government will in due course publish a Green Paper on consumers.

Industry

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the Industrial Strategy White Paper.

Claire Perry: The Industrial Strategy White Paper is due to be published later this year.

Modern Working Practices Review

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to publish his response to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published in July 2017, before the November 2017 recess.

Margot James: The Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices was a large and comprehensive report. We are now taking the time the report deserves to consider the recommendations before the Government responds. We will publish the Government response by the end of the year.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19 financial years.

Margot James: Like all departments, BEIS is planning for a number of EU Exit scenarios to make sure we are ready on Day 1.Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit.BEIS has received additional funding this year to meet new pressures arising from Brexit preparations.Additional funding received from the reserve for 2017/8 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates.The costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 will be affected by negotiations over the coming months.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what contingency funding his Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial years.

Margot James: Like all departments, BEIS is planning for a number of EU Exit scenarios to make sure we are ready on Day 1.Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit.BEIS has received additional funding this year to meet new pressures arising from Brexit preparations.Additional funding received from the reserve for 2017/8 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates.The costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 will be affected by negotiations over the coming months.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iraq: Yazidis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to assist the UN inquiry on genocide against Yazidis in Iraq.

Alistair Burt: ​There is a growing body of evidence that Daesh has committed appalling crimes against minority communities in Iraq, including Yezidis, and we are working with our international partners to ensure that those responsible are held to account. On 21 September 2017, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the UK-drafted Daesh Accountability Resolution 2379, co-sponsored by 46 Member States, including Iraq. The resolution calls for the UN Secretary General to establish an Investigative Team to collect, preserve and store evidence of Daesh crimes, beginning in Iraq. The team will be led by a Special Adviser with a mandate to promote the need to bring Daesh to justice across the globe.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the treatment of the Baha'i community in Iran.

Alistair Burt: ​The treatment of the Baha'i community in Iran is of particular concern. During the recent Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran at the UN, the UK raised the treatment of religious minorities, including the Baha'i. The British Government supports the UN Special Rapporteur's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'i community in Iran is aggravated by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. I recently met with representatives of the Baha'i community to discuss this.

Iran: Human Rights

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations has he made to the UN General Assembly on the human rights situation in Iran.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK has made several interventions at the UN on human rights in Iran. At the Human Rights Council in March 2017, the UK strongly supported the renewal of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran. The UK also supported the Special Rapporteur's recent report on the status of human rights in Iran during the recent Interactive Dialogue at the General Assembly in New York. In addition, the UK co-sponsors the annual Third Committee Resolution on human rights in Iran.

Israel: Palestinians

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support a negotiated settlement between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority.

Alistair Burt: ​I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 18 October (PQ 106852).

United Arab Emirates: Travel Information

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the recent detention of the British citizen, Jamil Ahmed Mukadam, in the UAE, what steps his Department is taking to make British citizens aware of the risks and dangers of travelling to the UAE.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes Travel Advice on 225 countries and territories to help British people make better-informed decisions about their foreign travel. No travel can be guaranteed absolutely safe, but our advice is one source of useful information to help people make well-informed decisions – and take responsibility for their choices.Our travel advice for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) explains that local laws and customs are very different to those in the UK and that there may be serious penalties for doing something which may not be illegal in the UK. Both our Travel Advice and our Embassy's many public awareness raising campaigns cover some of the specific issues which may arise from differences in laws and customs.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to suspend future licensing of UK arms to Saudi Arabia to be used in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: Export licence applications for all countries including Saudi Arabia are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU & National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. A key test is whether there is a clear risk that the items might be used in a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. The situation is kept under continual review.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the outcome of the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty held on 20 September 2017.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. While we cannot predict when other States will take the decisions necessary to ratify the Treaty, we will continue to press all states who have not yet ratified it, including the US, to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia made a statement pressing for the entry into force and universalisation of the Treaty at the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force on 20 September 2017. More recently, during the current 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the UK co-sponsored a resolution pursuing these goals for the Treaty.The UK is a strong supporter of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). We are one of the leading players in the design, maintenance and development of the Treaty's Verification regime. We also contribute funding and extensive UK expertise to the CTBTO, as well as contributions-in-kind for exercises.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the work of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. While we cannot predict when other States will take the decisions necessary to ratify the Treaty, we will continue to press all states who have not yet ratified it, including the US, to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia made a statement pressing for the entry into force and universalisation of the Treaty at the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force on 20 September 2017. More recently, during the current 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the UK co-sponsored a resolution pursuing these goals for the Treaty.The UK is a strong supporter of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). We are one of the leading players in the design, maintenance and development of the Treaty's Verification regime. We also contribute funding and extensive UK expertise to the CTBTO, as well as contributions-in-kind for exercises.

USA: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his US counterpart on ratification by that country of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; and what assessment he has made of the prospects for such ratification under the current US Administration.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. While we cannot predict when other States will take the decisions necessary to ratify the Treaty, we will continue to press all states who have not yet ratified it, including the US, to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia made a statement pressing for the entry into force and universalisation of the Treaty at the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force on 20 September 2017. More recently, during the current 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the UK co-sponsored a resolution pursuing these goals for the Treaty.The UK is a strong supporter of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). We are one of the leading players in the design, maintenance and development of the Treaty's Verification regime. We also contribute funding and extensive UK expertise to the CTBTO, as well as contributions-in-kind for exercises.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help facilitate the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Boris Johnson: The UK is committed to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. While we cannot predict when other States will take the decisions necessary to ratify the Treaty, we will continue to press all states who have not yet ratified it, including the US, to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Asia made a statement pressing for the entry into force and universalisation of the Treaty at the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force on 20 September 2017. More recently, during the current 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the UK co-sponsored a resolution pursuing these goals for the Treaty.The UK is a strong supporter of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). We are one of the leading players in the design, maintenance and development of the Treaty's Verification regime. We also contribute funding and extensive UK expertise to the CTBTO, as well as contributions-in-kind for exercises.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of whether Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's rights under (a) Iranian and (b) international human rights laws have been violated; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​Iran does not view Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe as a British national, and has no legal obligation to do so. On this basis Iran has not granted us access to the charges or evidence in Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case, nor provided us with consular access. Under our consular role we do not provide legal advice to British nationals and cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another country and have therefore not made an assessment of Iranian law. Based on publicly available information, we have raised our concerns with the Iranian authorities, but we are not in a position to determine whether Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's rights have been violated under international human rights laws. We continue to press the Iranian authorities to provide Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with access to all the legal paperwork relevant to her case. We request consular access at every opportunity, not least so we can be assured of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's welfare. We will continue to assert that she is a British national, to press for consular access, and to support the family to the extent that we can.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to communicate with hon. Members and Members of the House of Lords plans for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018.

Alistair Burt: ​We recognise the extraordinary contribution Parliamentarians can make to the Commonwealth's rejuvenation, both by sharing their wealth of expertise and knowledge and by contributing to activities that celebrate the Commonwealth across the UK in the run up to and during the week of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.Lord Ahmad, Minister for the Commonwealth, is in regular contact with parliamentarians from both Houses, engaging with the All Party Parliamentary Group, through Commonwealth Organisations such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and by meeting many Parliamentarians individually to set out our plans. Lord Ahmad plans to write to Parliamentarians in both Houses shortly to outline further details regarding the summit.

Catalonia: Civil Disorder

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Spanish counterpart on the violence that occurred during the Catalan independence referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Prime Minister discussed the situation in Catalonia with the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on 17 October and expressed the UK's support for the rule of law and respect for the Spanish constitution. This followed a meeting between myself and the Spanish Ambassador Carlos Bastarreche on 11 October, after which I released a public statement.

Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council will be held in 2017; and what the agenda is for that meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council will be held on 28 – 29 November. Items currently on the agenda for discussion include: disaster relief and recovery; environment and climate change resilience; sustainable economic development; child safeguarding; tax transparency and beneficial ownership; and implications for the Overseas Territories of EU Exit.

Conditions of Employment: Domestic Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in other countries on ratification of the International Labour Organisation Convention on Domestic Workers; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson: I have not raised the International Labour Organization’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). The UK has not seen the need to ratify this Convention, given the effective provisions in our domestic law, but supports the Convention’s principles. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have primary policy responsibility for this Convention.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has made with his US counterpart on that Government's current Nuclear Posture Review.

Boris Johnson: ​I speak regularly to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to discuss a range of issues, including nuclear issues, as part of our strong bilateral cooperation on security and defence policy. As I set out in my Chatham House Conference speech on 23 October, the Government remains determined to continue to work with partners across the international community to address threats to our security, to prevent proliferation and where possible to make progress on multilateral nuclear disarmament.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on self-determination for the Biafran people in the Eastern Region of Nigeria.

Rory Stewart: ​The UK fully supports the territorial integrity of Nigeria and President Buhari's commitment to work for a secure and prosperous Nigeria. We are committed to working with Nigeria to help tackle threats to national security and to address the underlying causes of instability which exist within Nigeria.We echo President Buhari's calls for calm and reconciliation between the ethnic groups and communities that make up and contribute to the strength and diversity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Proliferation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help facilitate implementation by UN member states of their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540.

Boris Johnson: The UK strongly supports UN Security Council Resolution 1540, including by helping States to implement their obligations under the resolution to take effective measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery. We are assisting several African countries to report on their implementation of the resolution, and support lobbying by the EU and G7 to encourage more States to submit such reports. We support work by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to promote chemical safety and security, and work bilaterally, with the OPCW and in other fora to address the safety and security of toxic industrial chemicals, including through the OPCW’s Programme for Africa. We worked with partners to secure an OPCW Decision on 16 October encouraging States to take measures to combat the threat of chemical terrorism. We are assisting States to adopt legislation and regulations to implement their obligations under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and have supported work to promote biological security education globally. Through the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism we provide advice on how to implement measures to address the threat of nuclear terrorism. And through the Global Threat Reduction Programme we support substantial international efforts to secure vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials.

Weapons of Mass Destruction: Proliferation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the work of the committee established pursuant to UN Security Resolution 1540.

Boris Johnson: The UK strongly supports the work of the Committee established pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1540, and is a vice-Chair of the Committee. We worked particularly closely with Spain, Chair of the Committee in 2016, on the five-yearly Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the Resolution. The review concluded in December 2016 that significant progress had been made in addressing the risk of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors, and proposed a number of measures to improve implementation further, partly as a result of our work. These included proposals to address new and emerging challenges from the evolving terrorist threat and advances in science and technology; to improve the process to match requests for technical assistance with offers of assistance; to strengthen cooperation and outreach to industry and civil society; and to strengthen the UN structures which support the resolution’s implementation. UN Security Council Resolution 2325, adopted on 15 December 2016, endorsed the review and its proposals. We are now working with Bolivia, Chair of the Committee in 2017, and other Committee members to implement the review.

Nigeria: Politics and Government

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has made representations to the Government of Nigeria on the treatment of Biafrans living in the southern region of that country; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The British Government is concerned by recent reports of violence in South East Nigeria and supports efforts to reduce tensions in the region. During my visit to Nigeria in June I raised the issue of community tensions with the Governor of Kaduna. The Government welcomes statements by the Governors of the Northern States of Nigeria, and by Vice President Osinbajo, then Acting President, condemning threats against the Igbo people.

Africa: British Council

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the current status is of the British Council's African Knowledge Transfer Partnerships pilot project; and whether there are plans to continue or to replicate that project in the near future.

Mark Field: The British Council have advised that the African Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AKTP) pilot project ran from February 2011 - March 2013, and was jointly funded by the British Council and private companies.It supported 40 UK – Sub Saharan Africa partnerships between commercial organisations and higher education institutions to help businesses improve their productivity and competitiveness harnessing scientific knowledge, technology and skills.The British Council have no plans to replicate the project in the future.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Secondment

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 105822, on Department for Exiting the European Union: secondment, what secondees from each organisation are being paid.

Mr Steve Baker: As stated in the Answer to Question 105822, between July 2016 and July 2017, the Department for Exiting the European Union had 17 secondees from outside of Government. Due to the nature of a secondment, secondees are not directly paid by the Department and arrangements are in place for them to be paid by their home organisations.

Food: Prices

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on food prices in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on food prices in the UK of adopting World Trade Organisation tariffs when the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: Leaving the EU presents a major opportunity for UK agricultural and fisheries sectors. There will be opportunities to build on our world-leading reputation of quality and standards. We are focused on making sure all of our policies deliver for the UK, grow our world-leading food and farming industry, and improve our environment. In 2016, 60 per cent of UK food, feed and drink exports were to countries in the EU, whilst 70 per cent of UK imports of food, feed and drink during the same period were from the EU. This underlines the UK’s and EU’s mutual interest in continuing high levels of market access in future.The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across Government, is in the process of carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work that will contribute to our exit negotiations with the EU, to define our future partnership with the EU, and to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We want our future relationship with the EU to be a deep and special partnership, taking in both economic and security cooperation. We are confident that a future partnership between the UK and EU is in the interests of both sides, so we approach these negotiations anticipating success. We think that is by far and away the highest probability. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome, but we have a duty to plan for an alternative to the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. That is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government.

Business: Transitional Arrangements

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) British Chambers of Commerce, (b) Federation of Small Businesses, (c) EEF manufacturers' association and (d) CBI about a transitional deal after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Ministers and officials from across Government are speaking to a significant number of organisations and individuals, to establish their priorities and understand their views on a range of EU exit issues.Cabinet ministers engage extensively with the British Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Business, the EEF and the CBI, including through meetings of the Business Advisory Group.Details of ministerial and senior official meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Dublin Convention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on plans to continue to apply the Dublin III Regulation after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Discussions are ongoing across Government about our post-Brexit relationship with the EU, including in respect of future cooperation on asylum. Ministers from the Department for Exiting the EU have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Home Secretary, on issues relating to the UK's exit from the EU. The Government has been clear that it is in both the UK and the EU’s best interests to continue to cooperate on asylum and illegal migration issues when we leave the EU. We are ready to discuss the exact nature of this cooperation with our European partners.

Attorney General

Domestic Violence: Greater London

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Attorney General, how many successful prosecutions relating to domestic violence offences which were initially reported to police in London were recorded in each of the last five years.

Robert Buckland: The CPS maintains a central record of the number of defendants flagged as domestic abuse that were prosecuted and convicted through its Case Management System.The CPS defines domestic abuse as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in-laws or step family.The table below shows the volume and proportion of domestic abuse prosecutions and convictions by CPS London in each of the last five financial years. 2012 - 132013 - 142014 - 152015 - 162016 - 17-Volume%Volume%Volume%Volume%Volume%Convictions5,42461.7%6,44265.2%7,87166.3%9,40064.5%9,37765.6%Unsuccessful3,36338.3%3,43334.8%4,00633.7%5,17935.5%4,90934.4%Total8,787 9,875 11,877 14,579 14,286 Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Sustainable Development

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans the Government has to demonstrate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the next 12 months.

Rory Stewart: Following the publication of the Government’s report on how it is delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in March, it is now embedding the SDGs in Single Departmental Plans. Over the next few months, these will be updated to reflect the Government’s new priorities. A public version will be published on GOV.UK and Departments’ contributions to the delivery of the SDGs will be reported publicly in their Annual Report and Accounts.The Government will announce in due course when it will showcase its work by presenting a Voluntary National Review at the United Nations.

Uganda: Bridge International Academies

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to recent reports of sub-standard teaching and unsanitary learning facilities and the decision in the High Court in Kampala in August 2016 to order the closure of 63 Bridge International Academies in Uganda, whether her Department has taken steps to change Government funding patterns to that organisation.

Alistair Burt: In Uganda, the Bridge International Academies (BIA) schools remain open with BIA and the Government of Uganda in dialogue to ensure that BIA meets the requirements set out.There is no set funding pattern to BIA. CDC has a total UK investment in BIA of $7.1m, made in 2014. The investments made were long term and will be returned to the UK taxpayer, they are not specifically for any country of operation. A DFID £3.45m grant, awarded competitively, was also provided to open 23 Bridge academies in Lagos, Nigeria. This grant is now completed.Any future funding decisions will follow DFID’s due process that aims to achieve best value for money and developmental impact, taking into consideration a broad range of evidence.

Overseas Aid and Overseas Trade

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on its strategy on trade and aid of the establishment of the Institute for Free Trade; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: I welcome the establishment of the Institute for Free Trade, which fully acknowledges the vital role trade can play in boosting developing countries’ economic development and lifting people out of poverty.This Government is committed to engaging with a broad range of stakeholders as we further develop our trade and development policy. I look forward to considering the work of the Institute as this progresses.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the direct effect of activity in Yemen undertaken by the Government of Saudi Arabia on development and humanitarian outcomes in Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The UK supports the Saudi-led Coalition military intervention, which came at the request of the legitimate President Hadi, to deter aggression by the Houthis, and allow for the return of the legitimate Yemeni Government. We strongly support the work of the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, to end the conflict; and urge all parties to facilitate rapid and safe access for humanitarian aid in Yemen.

Nigeria: Malaria

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what bilateral assistance her Department is providing to reduce malaria cases and deaths in Nigeria.

Rory Stewart: Since 2008 DFID has delivered 11 million insecticide treated nets to Nigerian families, 4.5 million malaria treatments, 5 million rapid diagnostic kits and has also trained 22,000 health workers to improve their malaria treatment skills. DFID’s new malaria programme for Nigeria is currently being tendered.

Venezuela: Malaria

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the increase in malaria cases in Venezuela for the World Health Organisation target of malaria elimination in the Americas by 2020.

Alistair Burt: The World Health Organisation is aware of the increase in malaria cases in Venezuela. Progress towards the region meeting the goals of the Regional plan of action for malaria elimination 2016-2020 is threatened by the current levels of transmission in Venezuela, though their attainment remains possible dependent on transmission levels in other affected countries. The WHO Regional Office of the Americas issued an alert in February 2017 with recommendations for countries to strengthen national responses to increased cases

Sub-Saharan Africa: Poaching

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2017 to Question 105404, on sub-Saharan Africa: poaching, what definition of welfare her Department uses when considering providing support for anti-poaching efforts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development uses the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA). The OECD’s definition of ODA does not set a specific definition of welfare.

World Bank: Energy

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with representatives of the World Bank in September and October 2017 on its energy portfolio and the balance of investments between fossil fuels and renewable energy.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State has had no specific discussions with the World Bank in September and October on its energy portfolio and the balance of investments between fossil fuels and renewable energy.DFID staff members are regularly in touch with staff at the World Bank on how best to help poor countries secure the affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy they need to end poverty and to enable economic growth. Our view is that countries will need to use a mix of energy sources, including both renewable energy and fossil fuels such as natural gas, to provide reliable and affordable energy for families, for businesses and for public services.

Africa: Innovation and Science

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to support science and innovation in Africa.

Rory Stewart: DFID’s 2016 Research Review confirmed our commitment to invest around 3% of its budget on research and innovation. Of over 180 projects, 80% are active in Africa.This large footprint of research partnerships between UK and Africa have resulted in new evidence and technologies which are changing lives. DFID also supports investments to strengthen nationally-led investment in science, technology and innovation and research leadership in Africa.

Department for International Development: Sexual Harassment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2017 to Question 108856, on Developing countries: sexual harassment, how her Department defines adequate controls; and whether such controls were framed under the provisions of UK employment or in-country law.

Rory Stewart: A Due Diligence assessment judges whether an organisation’s controls are adequate by assessing the extent to which they provide assurance that funds, assets, and people are managed effectively, and in line with DFID policies. This includes assessing whether they have internal policies in place to protect individuals from harm, and evidence that those policies are being robustly implemented.We expect organisations which we fund directly to operate to the highest ethical standards and in line with their legal obligations. We hold them to account throughout the life of their agreement with DFID. Where partners employ local staff they must comply both with local legislation as well as the terms of the DFID agreement.

Department for International Development: Sexual Harassment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2017 to Question 108856, on Developing countries: sexual harassment, if the Government will publish the details of the due diligence assessment that organisations funded by her Department are subject to.

Rory Stewart: DFID does not publish due diligence assessments.

Department for International Development: Sexual Harassment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2017 to Question 108856, on Developing countries: sexual harassment, whether her Department has terminated any funding projects due to (a) suppliers not fulfilling their obligations and (b) reasons concerning sexual harassment policies or cases.

Rory Stewart: In the last eighteen months, 11 contracts above the OJEU threshold have been terminated for reasons including the programme’s underperformance, poor value for money, concerns regarding supplier capability, and changes in the delivery context. We have not established sexual harassment as a cause of any contract terminations. DFID’s new Supply Partner Code of Conduct requires suppliers to put whistleblowing arrangements in place, train their staff in ethical behaviour and human rights and ensure there is no exploitative treatment of workers in their supply chains.

Department for Education

Pupils: Personal Records

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether pupil nationality data is used to match pupil or family records in order to process data requests by the Home Office, for purposes including immigration enforcement as part of the ongoing monthly data transfers to the Home Office; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library a copy of any current Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Home Office on the use or sharing of pupil data.

Nick Gibb: The National Pupil Database (NPD) is a longitudinal research database that provides evidence on educational performance to inform independent research, as well as studies commissioned by the Department. The Department may legally share the NPD (or elements of it) with third parties, using powers set out in Section 537A of the Education Act 1997 and the Education (Individual Pupil Information) (Prescribed Persons) (England) Regulations 2009. Organisations requesting access under those powers must show how it will be used to promote pupils' education, through evidence or research. In addition to the provisions within the Education Act 1997, in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, where the police or Home Office have clear evidence that a child may be at risk or evidence of criminal activity, limited data including a pupil’s address and school details may be requested from the NPD. It is right that we share this data if it helps to keep a child safe from harm or to disrupt a crime. This data does not include nationality or country of birth information. These data items are not processed into the NPD. Thus they are not used in any matching work associated with provision of data to the Home Office. The current Memorandum of Understanding between the Department and the Home Office is in the House Library.

Universities: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to (a) Oxford University and (b) Cambridge University for (i) black students and (ii) students from low socio-economic backgrounds from (A) the North West and (B) Blackpool.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is determined to build a country that works for everyone – and that means ensuring that every child has a good or outstanding school place. We know that improving schools will help more young people progress on to higher education including at the most selective institutions. We expect all universities, particularly the most selective, to help raise attainment and support school improvement, including through school sponsorship and by establishing new state schools. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are entering at record rates to the most selective universities. There are also record entry rates across all ethnic groups.But we recognise there is more still to do. That is why our guidance to the Director of Fair Access (DfA), in February 2016, asked for the most selective institutions to make faster progress on widening access, and in particular to focus their outreach. The DfA has agreed access agreements for 2018/19 with plans for universities to spend more than £860 million on measures to continue to improving access and student success for students from disadvantaged and under-represented backgrounds, up significantly from £404 million in 2009.We are introducing sweeping reforms through legislation. The Higher Education and Research Act, includes a transparency duty requiring all universities to publish applications, offers and acceptance rates broken down by gender, ethnicity and social economic background. This will help to hold them to account for their performance on access and retention.

Apprentices: Females

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 107455, how many women born between (a) 6 April 1950 and 5 April 1953, (b) 6 April 1953 and 5 December 1953 and (c) 6 December 1953 and 5 April 1960 have (i) started and (ii) completed an apprenticeship in each of the last seven years.

Anne Milton: The tables attached show the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements by women in each of the last six academic years.It should be noted that older people are less inclined to undertake an apprenticeship compared to those of a younger age, as shown in the table below comparing the 45-59 age group to the 60+ age group. Since 2013/14 the number of apprenticeship starts has been increasing year on year for both of these age groups.Age group2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16(provisional) 2016/1745-5962,20061,06041,85055,73057,78058,11060+3,6803,2602,4803,4103,5603,680  In addition, overall female apprenticeship starts are greater than those for males as shown in the table below.Gender2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16(provisional) 2016/17Female276,220279,000232,940264,750268,730262,820Male244,360231,210207,480235,140240,630228,520 Note: The Starts and Achievements statistics should not be used to measure percentage progress within a year. They are independent performance metrics. Typically, apprenticeships can take two years to complete.Data on apprenticeship starts and achievements by age band, and by gender are available in the apprenticeship demographic tools:Starts: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624584/apprenticeships-demographics-data-tool-starts-v1.xlsxAchievements:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624824/apprenticeships-demographics-data-tool-achievements-v1.xlsx



Apprenticeship starts by age
(PDF Document, 12.18 KB)

Alternative Education

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the legal basis is for her Department's collection of data on pregnancy, health and mental health from January 2018 to inform the Alternative Provision Census.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Education (Information About Children in Alternative Provision) (England) Regulations 2007, made in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 537A and 537B of the Education Act 1996 provide the statutory basis for the collection of data about children in alternative provision.

Supply Teachers: Conditions of Employment

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she last met representatives of supply teachers to discuss their concerns about insecure working practices.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published in July 2017, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to improve the working practices in the supply teaching profession.

Nick Gibb: The Department regularly meets with teaching unions who represent the views of their members, which include supply teachers. The last meeting my department held to specifically discuss supply teacher working practices was in October 2017. The Department is aware of concerns about insecure working practices for supply teachers, in particular relating to practices of some supply teacher agencies. The Department is in the planning phase of a new commercial framework for schools that use supply agencies. The Department will discuss these proposals with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, particularly in relation to the Taylor Review of modern working practices.

Teachers: Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) applications and (b) admissions for initial teacher training courses specialising in the education of under-fives there were in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member for Warrington North, Helen Jones to the answer I gave on 23 October 2017 to Question 108600:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=108600.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2017 to Question 105348, on children: day care, what the reasons are for the apparent discrepancy between the proportion of providers cited who were willing and able to offer the extended hours places and the data provided on that proportion in paragraph 3 on page 12 of her Department's paper, Evaluation of Early Rollout of 30 Hours Free Childcare, published on 31 August 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: There are two different ways we categorised providers who were willing and able to offer 30 hours in the early rollout evaluation report. For clarification:83% of providers in the four early rollout areas delivering free entitlements (the universal 15 hours for 3 and 4 years old and/or the 15 hours for disadvantaged 2 year olds) were willing and able to deliver 30 hours.62% of all registered providers in the four early rollout areas were willing and able to deliver 30 hours. However, it is important to highlight that while providers may be registered to deliver childcare this does not mean they are currently offering childcare or have sufficient number of children to fill the places.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of parents who are unable to access funded hours only places; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department is committed to supporting parents access a 30 hours’ place. Local councils have a duty to secure childcare provision free of charge to qualifying children. As of 31 August, over 216,000 codes were issued for the autumn term, with 90% being validated as of 9 October.We know that some parents will purchase additional hours and services outside of the free entitlements, and where parents do decide to do this, it is a private matter between them and their chosen provider. But parents must not be required to pay any fee as a condition of taking up a free entitlement place, and must be offered alternative options. The early delivery evaluation reports showed that where additional charges were introduced, this had not deterred parents from taking up a place.The department will be commissioning an independent evaluation of the first two terms of delivery of the 30 hours where we will be monitoring the impact of 30 hours, including charging for additional services.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many two-year olds have received 15 hours free childcare in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of 2-year-olds benefitting from funded early education is published in Table 1 of the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ statistical first release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2017.

Pre-school Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of under-fives received early years education in maintained nursery schools in each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number and proportion of 2, 3 and 4-year-olds benefitting from funded early education in maintained nursery schools since 2010 are shown in the table. This is published annually in the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ statistical first release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2017.

Sex and Relationship Education

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Statement of 1 March 2017, Sex and Relationships Education, HCWS 509, and pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2017 to Question 2526, what the (a) timetable and (b) planned commencement date is for the consultation on the provision of relationships education.

Nick Gibb: We want to help all schools to deliver high-quality Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education so that all young people are equipped to have healthy and respectful relationships, and leave school with the knowledge to prepare them for adult life.The Department remains fully committed to conducting thorough and wide-ranging engagement with stakeholders, which will help us to reach evidence-based decisions on the content of the regulations and statutory guidance, as well as on the status of PSHE. We will set out shortly more details about the engagement process, the timetable and the work to consider age-appropriate subject content. We will consult on draft regulations and guidance and the regulations will then be laid in the House allowing for a full and considered debate. We are working towards schools teaching the new subjects from September 2019.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Education Funding Agency plans to publish its report into Wakefield City Academies Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department took to ensure that there were no improper financial transfers from within the Wakefield City Academies Trust before that Trust collapsed; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Academy trusts operate under a strict system of oversight and accountability. Academy trusts must adhere to their funding agreement and to the Academies Financial Handbook. They are also subject to company and charities law. All academy trusts provide the Department with annual accounts; these accounts are subject to a system of independent audit. They are published by Trusts. As part of this process, external auditors set out whether any irregular spending has come to their attention. Following the Trust’s decision to wind-down, we have secured additional specialist capacity to provide further assurance on the Trust’s financial position.The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) periodically visits multi academy trusts to assess their financial management and governance arrangements. We do not publish these routine assurance reports.The ESFA undertook such a review of Wakefield City Academies Trust between June and September 2015 and made a follow-up visit in July 2016. At this time, we do not intend to publish the ESFA report into Wakefield City Academies Trust, as this could be obstructive to the process of ensuring all the schools are placed with new trusts.

Academies: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department or any of its agencies hold reports that raise concerns on the financial situation in multi-academy trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes upon discovering concerns about the governance and financial management of multi-academy trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) periodically visit academy trusts to assess their financial management and governance arrangements; this includes multi-academy trusts reviews. We do not routinely publish these assurance reports. Where a concern is identified, ESFA will respond proportionate to the severity of the risk, taking into account the scale and nature of the issue, and any local circumstances. Where there are significant concerns about financial management or governance in an academy trust, ESFA may visit the trust to investigate and/or issue, and publish, a Financial Notice to Improve, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-financial-notices-to-improve. The trust must comply with the terms of a Financial Notice to Improve; failure to comply will be deemed a breach of the funding agreement.

Service Pupil Premium: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools in Plymouth which accept children of servicemen and servicewomen will continue to receive the service pupil premium after April 2018.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department will continue to allocate Service Pupil Premium funding to maintained schools in England that are attended by eligible pupils (those who currently have Service child status or have been recorded as Service children in the school census at any point in the last six years) for the duration of the current Spending Review period.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Education Funding Agency investigation into the Wakefield City Academies Trust produced in 2016.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to hold an inquiry into the operation of the Wakefield City Academies Trust.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Academy trusts operate under a strict system of oversight and accountability. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) periodically visits multi academy trusts to assess their financial management and governance arrangements. We do not publish these routine assurance reports. The ESFA undertook a routine review of Wakefield City Academies Trust between June and September 2015 and made a follow-up visit in July 2016. At this time, we do not intend to publish the ESFA report into Wakefield City Academies Trust, as this could be obstructive to the process of ensuring all the schools are placed with new trusts.The Department is working closely with Wakefield City Academy Trust to manage a smooth transition for its pupils. The Department’s priority is to ensure that all children receive the best possible education, by transferring the schools to trusts that will be better able to improve outcomes for pupils.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 108171, whether her Department plans to seek information on the income of people accessing 30 hours of free childcare.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department collected data on the household income of parents using 30 hours free childcare during the Early Implementation of the policy in eight local authorities. The independent published evaluation of early implementation summarised the income of parents that:Used 30 hoursUsed more childcare than in the past because of 30 hoursChanged their employment or working hours because of using 30 hours.An independent evaluation will take place of the first two terms of national rollout of the policy. The evaluation intends to collect data from parents, including their household income.The Department also collates some information on parent income through the annual Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, which provides Official Statistics on parents’ use of childcare and early years provision.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the announcement by her Department on 11 April 2017 on families to benefit from £55 million boost to childcare services, how many applications have been made to that fund; how much has been paid out from that fund; and how many childcare places that funding has established.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 11 April 2017, we announced the allocation of £100 million of capital funding to create 30-hours places for eligible children to help meet demand from hardworking parents. This funding was allocated to over 350 projects in 123 local councils in January 2017 and March 2017. We are working closely with all projects awarded funding and will publish the outcomes in due course when all projects have completed.

Children: Day Care

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral contribution of the Minister of State for Education of 18 July 2017, Official Report, column 713, what discussions her Department has had with HM Revenue and Customs to resolve the issues identified with the digital childcare service; and what progress her Department has made on steps identified in those discussions to resolve those issues.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As of 31 August, over 216,000 30 hours eligibility codes have been issued for the Autumn term. Whilst the majority of parents applied with no issue, some parents experienced difficulties. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are working with National Savings & Investments (and their supplier Atos) to make a range of improvements to the childcare service. The department maintains continuous contact with HMRC and are involved in key discussions. HMRC put in place arrangements to ensure parents were able to access a place in the Autumn term. For example, they provided 30 hours free childcare codes manually to all parents who reported experiencing difficulties applying through the digital route. The department then encouraged all local authorities to fund 30 hours places for the autumn term where the parent applied on 31 August or before, but received their code after the deadline.We are committed to working with colleagues to ensure we continue to improve the customer experience as we deliver this important programme nationally.

University Technical Colleges: Closures

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) revenue and (b) capital spending was allocated from the public purse to each university technical college that has closed since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2017 to Question 107822, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools meet more than two Gatsby benchmarks of good practice in careers education, information, advice and guidance.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The careers strategy will include proposals to improve the quality and coverage of careers advice in schools. These proposals will be informed by evidence regarding what works. The Gatsby benchmarks are based on the best national and international research and define excellence in careers provision. A two year pilot of the Gatsby benchmarks in the North East has demonstrated that significant improvements can be made.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to appoint further ambassadors for the apprentice ambassador programme on a cross-party basis.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The apprenticeship ambassadors have been selected for their enthusiasm and ability to drive support for the apprenticeship programme. The Apprenticeship Ambassadors that have been appointed will work with all MPs in England to champion the opportunities and benefits that apprenticeships can offer and promote the programme to employers, young people, schools and other key partners. If any further MP Apprenticeship Ambassadors are to be appointed, MPs from all parties will be considered in light of their support for the apprenticeships programme. Future appointments will be announced as and when they are made.

Education: Reviews

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to announce further details of the review of tertiary education.

Joseph Johnson: I refer the hon. Member for Blackpool South to the answer I gave on 24 October 2017 to PQ 108669:http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-10-19/108669/.

Ofsted: Staff

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many inspectors are employed by Ofsted in each region of England.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne (Angela Rayner). A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the findings of the evaluation of the further education reform programme 2015 research report commissioned, by her Department, on the effect of student loans on learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The recently published Evaluation of the FE Reform Programme report provides a number of key findings. In particular, 83% of providers either reported an increase in the numbers of disadvantaged learners, or had not noticed any fall in the numbers, as a consequence of those reforms to Further Education. The department will continue to ensure that there are clear communications about the benefits of study supported by Advanced Learner Loans, so that those from all backgrounds can access such loans to enhance their career prospects. The Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund provides additional support to loan-funded learners that require assistance in meeting costs associated with their study, such as childcare, travel, books and equipment, plus any learning support needs. The latest evaluation of Advanced Learner Loans, commencing in November, will look at the impact of the extension to those aged 19-23 and to Level 5 and Level 6. It will provide the Department with further evidence on how the offer supports adults from different backgrounds.

Schools: Standards

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children live within three miles of three outstanding schools in each local authority in England.

Nick Gibb: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Pre-school Education: Recruitment

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Early Years Workforce Strategy, published in march 2017, what progress her Department has made on plans to conduct a feasibility study on the development of a programme to grow the graduate workforce in Opportunity areas.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are considering a range of approaches to increasing the number of graduates employed in the early years sector, but work is still underway. We will engage the sector in exploring ways to target support where it is most needed. We continue to support graduates into the sector through our funding of the Early Years Initial Teacher Training programme, including bursaries and employer incentives.

Breakfast Clubs: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to her Department's publication on an open process to provide breakfast clubs in schools, how much of the funding from this process is additional to the ring fenced revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in schools.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Oral Statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, columns 563 to 566, on schools update, whether the £10 million ringfenced from the soft drinks industry levy revenue to provide breakfast clubs will be affected by changes to the funding levels available through the healthy pupils capital budget.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We announced within the Childhood Obesity Plan in August 2016 that we would launch a breakfast club programme using funds solely from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy.We published an invitation to tender on the 16 October 2017 indicating that we are investing £26 million from the levy over the next three years to expand breakfast club provision. We have also invested £100 million from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the healthy pupils capital fund to facilitate an improvement in children’s physical and mental health by increasing and improving access to and use of relevant facilities, such as kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms and sports facilities.

Graduates: Debts

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to Government policy on interest rates on graduate debt on her Department's revenue budget for (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has frozen tuition fees for academic year 2018-19 and raised both the repayment threshold and the thresholds at which variable interest rates apply to borrowers in repayment. The repayment threshold will rise from £21,000 to £25,000 for the 2018-19 financial year. Following the threshold change, interest will be charged at RPI for those earning below £25,000 (compared to £21,000 before) and at RPI+3% for those earning above £45,000 (compared to £41,000 before), with interest applied on sliding scale for those earning between those two thresholds. The impact of these policies on the department’s revenue budgets are to reduce the amount of interest charged to students and increase the amount of debt written off at the end of the loan term. We estimate the aggregate impact of these are a £50m reduction in financial year 2018-19 and a £125m reduction in financial year 2019-20. Budget cover will be through the department’s Annually Managed Expenditure budgets: this will be subject to Parliamentary approval in the normal way as part of the estimates process.

Academies: Headteachers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) amounts of settlements paid to head teachers leaving schools in multi-academy trusts in the last 12 months.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on staff settlements is disclosed and published by academy trusts in their audited financial statements. Academy trust information for year ending 31 August 2016 is included in the Sector Annual Report and Accounts (SARA), which was published on the 26 October 2017 and available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016. Information for the year ending 31 August 2017 will be disclosed by academy trusts in their financial statements in January 2018. Academy trusts must obtain approval from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and HM Treasury in advance for any non-statutory / non-contractual staff severance payments of £50,000 or more; and ESFA approval where a Financial Notice to Improve is in force. For the 12 months to September 2017 there were two payments of £23,025.50 and £62,235.50.

Academies: Headteachers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many head teachers (a) have registered and (b) been dismissed from schools within a multi-academy trust since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry but this information is not held centrally.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to update the prison staff benchmark figures which were last updated in March 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Since April 2017, Governors have had responsibility for workforce planning in their prisons, based on benchmark staffing levels. Local resource planning is currently underway, taking account of the additional staff announced by the Government in November 2016. Once this planning is completethe revised staffing levels will be published quarterly as part of the workforce statistics.

Prison Service: Finance

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the pay rise for prison staff being paid from current budgets on other prison services.

Mr Sam Gyimah: When the Government published its response to the sixteenth Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) report in September, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (CST) set out that the pay award for prison officers will be funded from within existing budgets, and will not impact spending in other areas of the Department. The outcome will not impact other prison services.

Prison Service: Finance

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether additional funding will be provided from the public purse to prisons to help them with the rise in prisoner numbers since May 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prison numbers can fluctuate, which is why we have a robust set of plans in place to ensure we will always have enough prison places available for those sent to us by the court. As we set out in the Prison Safety and Reform white paper published in November 2016 we are committed to transforming the prison estate (in England Wales) by investing £1.3bn to deliver up to 10,000 new places. This includes pushing ahead with our commitment to close or redevelop older prisons and open new accommodation in this parliament. An additional £100 million per year was also made available to address safety and stability issues in prisons and fund the recruitment of 2,500 additional prison officers.

Immigration: Appeals

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog in the Upper Tribunal.

Dominic Raab: The Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) caseload has been substantially reduced. The number of outstanding statutory appeals has been reduced from 2,813 on 31 March 2016 to 1,687 on 31 March 2017, and the number of Immigration and Asylum Judicial Review cases is now at the lowest ever level. The Upper Tribunal caseload figures are published quarterly in Official Statistics.

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what capital investment has been made to HM Prison Liverpool in each of the last 12 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Liverpool Prison

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the HM Inspectorate of Prisons on HM Prison Liverpool in the last three years.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have died in HM Prison Liverpool in each year since 2005.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have died by suicide in HM Prison Liverpool in each year since 2005.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to respond to the recent assessment by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons on HM Prison Liverpool that took place in September 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HM Chief Inspector of Prisons undertook an inspection of HMP Liverpool on 11-22 May 2015 and the report was published on 20 October 2015. HMI Prisons undertook a further inspection of HMP Liverpool on 4-15 September 2017. The report of that inspection is still being drafted and will be published in the usual way. The Chief Inspector informed the Prisons Minister of the recent inspection at HMP Liverpool as part of a routine meeting on 12 October 2017. The Chief Inspector also met with Officials on the 17 October 2017 on a range of issues including HMP Liverpool. The Department confirmed it would, as routine, respond to the findings of the inspection once the Inspectorate had produced and published the report in full. The number of deaths in custody and self-inflicted deaths are published in the annual deaths publication “Deaths in prison custody 1978 to 2016” located at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.  The relevant parts of the table are reproduced below: HMP Liverpool200520062007200820092010Deaths in custody651143of which: Self-inflicted540112 HMP Liverpool201120122013201420152016Deaths in custody454658of which: Self-inflicted221423

Personal Independence Payment: Thanet

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting time between the commencement of a personal independence payment appeal and a decision for claimants in Thanet.

Dominic Raab: The volume of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals made to the tribunal has built up since it was introduced as a new benefit in 2013. As the number, and age, of appeals lodged increased so has the average waiting time. Any disparity in waiting times is monitored and investigated locally. In general waiting times can fluctuate temporarily and geographically, owing to a number of variable factors, including volumes of benefit decisions made locally, availability of medical/disability members, venue capacity, and the complexity of appeals HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has been working with the judiciary to identify initiatives to increase the capacity and performance of the tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices. We are also in the process of recruiting over 350 judicial office holders to provide long term capacity in the tribunal.

Offenders: Females

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of female offenders are serving custodial sentences for non-violent offences; and how many female offenders are serving such sentences for each such offence.

Dr Phillip Lee: This data is already published and can be found in Table 1.2b of our Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) prison population table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/654646/prison-population-30-september-2017.xlsx

Negligence: Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many clinical negligence proceedings involving the death of a child were granted legal aid in 2012-13.

Dominic Raab: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Community Orders

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of community service sentences were carried out in the local authority where the offence was committed in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders the Government projected would be referred to each community rehabilitation company in each quarter at the time of signing contracts with those companies.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Early indicative estimates of the volumes of offenders starting with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) annually were published as part of the ‘Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform’ consultation document, which can be found at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-rehabilitation/results/transforming-rehabilitation-response.pdf. It was always anticipated that volumes would vary through the life of the contract and we did not guarantee caseload levels to the providers. Since 2014, there have been changes in the case-mix of offenders and falls in the number of community orders. This has led to a proportionately lower number of cases being allocated to CRCs. To respond to these changes in volume, we changed the way we pay CRCs to reflect more accurately the costs of delivering services to offenders. This ensures they can focus on the delivery of those vital services.

Prisoners: Employment

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours was that prisoners spent on purposeful activity in each day in (a) England and Wales and (b) each prison in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We do not currently collate information centrally for the average number of hours prisoners spend on daily purposeful activity and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn. We have empowered Governors so they have more freedom to innovate and make the best decisions for their prisons. By next year, every governor will be able to tailor education and training to the needs of their prisoners, providing offenders the right support and challenge to help turn their backs on crime.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have been referred to community rehabilitation companies in each quarter of the last two years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of cases allocated to Community Rehabilitation Companies in each quarter of the last two years is set out in the table below.   Q2 2015-16Q3 2015-16Q4 2015-16Q1 2016-17Q2 2016-17Q3 2016-17Q4 2016-17Q1 2017-18Allocated to CRC4233141615427754166539786375654119138540

Prisoners: Suicide

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of self-inflicted deaths of prisoners.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Safety in Custody statistics, published quarterly at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics, show that the number of self-inflicted deaths in prisons has fallen by 30%, from 110 in the year to September 2016 to 77 in the year to September 2017. Every self-inflicted death in custody is a tragedy, and the Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep prisoners safe. We have established a prison safety programme that includes a comprehensive set of actions to prevent self-inflicted deaths, including: rolling out revised and improved training for staff; improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody; revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; and funding the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Ministry of Justice: Training

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on staff attending external courses in each of the last five years.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is not held centrally.

Magistrates: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2017 to Question 107170 on magistrates: Warrington, when and for what reasons his Department decided to cease collection of data on the gender and residence of members of the magistracy.

Dominic Raab: Data on the gender and residence of members of the magistracy is collected by my Department. The cross referencing and collation of the data required to answer Question 107170 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: EU Nationals

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many EU nationals (a) are in UK prisons and (b) have been transferred to prison in their own countries under the EU Prisoner Transfer Directive.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to removing Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) from the United Kingdom, with a record number of over 6,300 removed from prisons, immigration removal centres (IRCs) and the community in 2016/17. As at 30 September 2017, 4,125 nationals from other EU countries were held in prisons (including HMPPS, run immigration removal centres) in England and Wales. 2,943 of these were serving sentence of imprisonment. A total of 217 EU nationals have been transferred to prisons in their own country under the EU Prisoner Transfer Framework Decision since it entered into force in December 2011. In 2016/17 we removed 110 prisoners under all transfer arrangements to countries around the world, and this financial year have transferred a further 56 prisoners worldwide. We are continuing to work with governments across the world to drive up these transfer figures further.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Music

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what the policy is of the Church Commissioners on the playing of secular music in (a) St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church and (b) all churches.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church of England’s ‘Open and Sustainable Churches’ programme operates through its ChurchCare website [http://www.churchcare.co.uk/churches/open-sustainable]. This programme offers advice and encouragement to churches on how to use imaginative and strategic ways to make their spaces available for purposes as well as worship. These could be community activities, cultural or even commercial events. There is no specific national policy about the use of churches for concerts, as this is usually left to the discretion of the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council. Following a decision by the Parochial Church Council of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate the church will end its programme of offering hire space to musicians from 2018. In its place, the church will offer monthly Saturday evening concerts in partnership with external musical groups, including classical and choral music both sacred and secular, as well as Monday evening concerts and guest choirs at Evensong. From 1 November, the Diocese of London will also launch a website that will provide easy access to hire space and booking options for musicians in London, as well as a tool to promote concerts and events.

Ministry of Defence

Military Aid

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2017 to Question 105974, on military aid, which countries received funding from his Department's Defence Assistance Fund in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013, (e) 2014, (f) 2015 and (g) 2016.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence provides a range of support and assistance to countries across the globe through defence engagement and financed through the Defence Assistance Fund. The list of countries is attached.



MODs Defence Assistance funded Countries
(Word Document, 23.71 KB)

Military Aid

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) training foreign military officers in the UK, (b) training foreign military officers overseas and (c) providing logistical support for foreign militaries in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013, (v) 2014, (vi) 2015 and (vii) 2016.

Mark Lancaster: The Defence Assistance Fund supports a variety of training and education for international officials and military personnel of all ranks in pursuit of UK defence engagement objectives. This training is provided in the UK and, to a much lesser extent, overseas. This breaks down as follows:UK based training and educationin £ millions:2010 - £12.8652011 - £11.8232012 - £11.9222013 - £15.4252014 - £16.4212015 - £21.0102016 - £26.940Overseas training and education in £ millions:2010 - £0.2312011 - £0.2042012 - £0.4052013 - £0.2102014 - £0.1372015 - £0.1482016 - £0.380I am unable to answer the third part of your question without a more precise definition of the term "Logistical Support".

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to retain personnel with significant cyber knowledge and expertise.

Mark Lancaster: Identifying, developing and retaining cyber expertise remains a high priority for Defence. The Defence Cyber Programme is responsible for developing and delivering a sustainable cyber profession. We work with a variety of stakeholders on a number of initiatives across Defence, allies, wider Government, academia and industry.A Defence Cyber Aptitude Test has been developed for the Ministry of Defence to enable us to identify personnel with the latent talent suitable for selection to undertake training for specialist cyber roles.The new Defence Cyber School located at Shrivenham will be at the forefront of the development and delivery of coherent cyber training across Defence and wider Government. The Defence Cyber Skills Competence Framework is aligned with industry skills frameworks to enable us to identify and track personnel with varying levels of cyber knowledge and expertise.Analysis has shown that development and delivery of a sustainable cyber career is a key element in retaining cyber Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP). The Cyber Professional Employment Model alongside other initiatives is being utilised to develop and begin to assure a career pathway for cyber professionals.The Cyber Reserves also provide opportunities for Defence to retain cyber SQEP otherwise due to leave the Services: personnel with the appropriate cyber skillsets can apply for transfer to the Cyber Reserves, having left regular Service and while undertaking civilian cyber employment.Defence deeply values the cyber knowledge and expertise of our staff, and works continually to monitor and enhance the methods in place in order to retain these skills.

Saudi Arabia: Guided Weapons

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Brimstone missiles have been sold by the UK to Saudi Arabia.

Sir Michael Fallon: A quantity of Brimstone missiles were delivered to Saudi Arabia in 2015 in support of the integration of this capability on Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado aircraft.

Saudi Arabia: Guided Weapons

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of Brimstone missiles used by Saudi Arabia in the conflict on Yemen.

Sir Michael Fallon: None.

Army: Recruitment

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the criteria for an EU national applying to join the British Army take account of the applicant's parents having attained UK citizenship.

Mark Lancaster: The eligibility criteria for entry into the British Army do not consider the citizenship status of an individual's parents.

Army Reserve

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on increasing the size of the Army Reserve to 30,000 personnel.

Mark Lancaster: As at 1 September 2017, the Army Reserve - Future Reserves 2020* total strength was 30,280. This is an increase of 1,000 personnel since 1 September 2016.* Future Reserves 2020 includes volunteer reserves who are mobilised, high readiness reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment. Sponsored reserves, who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserves, are also included.

NATO Countries: Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which NATO countries provided Maritime Patrol Aircraft for use in UK airspace on 24 and 25 October 2017.

Mark Lancaster: Maritime Patrol Aircraft from the United States and Canada were temporarily deployed to RAF Lossiemouth during the period in question.

HMS Scott

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the recent refit cost of HMS Scott was.

Harriett Baldwin: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests, due to an ongoing competition for future in service support.

Type 26 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the base-porting arrangements for the new Type 26 frigates.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 June 2017 to Question number 120.



Frigates
(Word Document, 12.75 KB)

Type 26 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the retirement dates are of each of the 13 Type 26 frigates.

Harriett Baldwin: In replying to this question, I have assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the Type 23 Frigates. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor the former Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr Philip Dunne) on 1 March 2016 to Question 28004 to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry). 



28004 - WQnA extract on Type 23 Frigates
(Word Document, 14.02 KB)

Warships: Decommissioning

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has indicated to the Governments of Brazil and of Chile that HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark may become available for purchase.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has not indicated to either the Government of Brazil or of Chile that HMS ALBION and HMS BULWARK may become available for purchase.

Astute Class Submarines

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the base-porting arrangements are for the most recent Astute-class attack submarine.

Harriett Baldwin: As has been announced previously all our Astute Class submarines will be based at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the maintenance of the F-35B aircraft will take place.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK will undertake maintenance of the F-35 aircraft at RAF Marham when the aircraft arrives in 2018. In the event that any maintenance is required which cannot be conducted at RAF Marham then this will be conducted at one of a number of locations around the world as part of the Global Support Solution.Defence Electronics and Components Agency Sealand has been chosen by the F-35 Joint Programme Office as the global repair hub for avionic and aircraft components for all F-35 Lightning aircraft.

Ministry of Defence: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what contingency funding his Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) current, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial year.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) current and (b) 2018-19 financial year.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has worked closely across Government to identify costs that would arise from any necessary contingency action. These costs have been scoped but the Department has not yet needed to commit any expenditure.The evolution and complexity of the challenges facing us require the UK and EU to continue to collaborate closely in foreign policy, defence and development - to uphold and project our shared values, combat our shared threats, and promote our mutual prosperity.The Government therefore remains confident a deal will be struck and this funding will not be required.

HMS Scott

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current planned operational retirement date is for HMS Scott.

Harriett Baldwin: On current plans, the out of service date for HMS SCOTT is 2022.

Military Bases: Fire Prevention

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in ensuring that (a) adequate fire safety arrangements and (b) appropriate fire drills, including evacuations, are carried out for military bases in the UK.

Mark Lancaster: The Secretary of State for Defence Policy Statement for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection requires that all organisations across Defence comply with the relevant statutory requirements that includes the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO).The assessment of compliance with the FSO is the responsibility of the Director General Defence Safety Authority (DG DSA) who operates under a Charter from the Secretary of State for Defence. This assessment is undertaken by the DSA Defence Fire Safety Regulator (DFSR) who as the enforcing authority for the FSO undertakes a programme of risk based audits of Defence-occupied premises to verify compliance with UK fire safety legislation.The DFSR audit process includes an assessment of the level of compliance against all the relevant articles in the FSO that include those relating to fire safety arrangements and the procedures in place to provide appropriate evacuation drills to follow in cases of serious and imminent danger to persons.In addition to allocating assurance levels across each Regulatory Domain and to reflect the importance attached to this issue, DG DSA raised fire safety as a strategic risk in his 2016/17 Annual Assurance Report that will shortly be published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dsa-annual-assurance-reports

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 July 2017 to Question 4292, on universal credit, when his Department plans to publish further data on payment timeliness of that benefit.

Damian Hinds: We updated the payment timeliness ad hoc statistics publication on 2nd October 2017.The latest estimates, for UC Full Service payments due in the week from 11th September 2017, show: 81% of new claims to UC Full Service received full payment on time.Across the whole of Universal credit 92% of all households received full payment on time.The publication is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/universal-credit-payment-timeliness-january-to-june-2017

Local Housing Allowance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the freeze on local housing allowance on levels of homelessness.

Caroline Dinenage: We have made no assessment of the impact of the policy to freeze Local Housing Allowance rates upon levels of homelessness. There is currently no clear evidence to suggest that the policy is contributing to increased homelessness. Further, the latest statistics show that the number of homelessness acceptances in England has decreased slightly over the past year and the figures are very similar to the homelessness acceptances when the freeze commenced.

Local Housing Allowance

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of freezing local housing allowance on the number of households (a) falling into rental arrears and (b) living in poverty.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not available.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of his decision to end the Support for Mortgage Interest allowance on the financial situation of those currently in receipt of that allowance.

Caroline Dinenage: All existing claimants will be offered a support for mortgage interest loan paid at the same rate that is currently available as part of their benefit entitlement. The new loans-based support for mortgage interest will only affect claimants’ financial situation on the sale or transfer of the property, when the loan will be recovered from any available equity. The Government does not propose to undertake formal evaluation of this change. However, we are committed to monitoring the impacts of our policies and will use evidence from a number of sources to assess the impact on an on-going basis. This will include the updated data that is available to DWP on a quarterly basis, survey data (such as the Family Resources Survey) and feedback from stakeholder groups, including via our regular liaison with UK Finance, to assess whether there are unintended consequences for particular groups.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce transitional measures for claimants in receipt of support for mortgage interest when his Department ends the Support for Mortgage Interest allowance.

Caroline Dinenage: Transitional provisions are in the Social Security Loans for Mortgage Interest Regulations 2017 to enable claimants who are receiving support for mortgage interest as part of their benefit on 5 April 2018 to have a temporary period in which they can still receive SMI as a benefit. This will allow the SMI benefit payments to continue should there be delays in the operational activity to migrate existing claimants to the loans scheme. This will enable the first loan payment to be made shortly after 6 April if that date falls during the claimant’s benefit week (in the case of a claimant of Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and State Pension Credit) or assessment period (in the case of a Universal Credit claimant) so that there is no gap in payment between the last SMI benefit award and the first loan payment. Where an existing claimant lacks mental capacity to make decisions about entering into the loan agreement, the regulations provide for support for mortgage interest as a benefit to continue until a final determination is made as to whether to appoint an appropriate person to act on the claimant’s behalf (such as a Financial Deputy) in respect of the loan agreement. Transitional provisions are also included to ease the transition from Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and income-related Employment and Support Allowance to universal credit. Where a claimant who has served the qualifying period in respect of support for mortgage interest before moving on to universal credit, the claimant will not have to serve the qualifying period again (subject to satisfying certain conditions).

Motor Neurone Disease: Personal Independence Payment

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to ensure that people with motor neurone disease are not required to be regularly reassessed for personal independence payments.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 October 2017 to Question UIN 108380.

Social Security Benefits

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of lifting the freeze on benefits on account of changes to the level of inflation after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016 has frozen the majority of working-age benefits for four tax years, from 2016-17 to 2019-20. The analysis published at the time of the 2015 Budget assesses the impact of the measures in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. This includes an estimate that the benefit rate freeze would save £3.5 billion in 2019-20 (https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf).

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants will be affected by the changes to the support for mortgage interest due to take place in April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 September 2017 to Question 9506.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following the support for mortgage interest changes in April 2018, with what frequency interest will be applied.

Caroline Dinenage: Interest on Support for Mortgage Interest loans will accrue daily and shall be added to the outstanding amount at the end of each month.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who will be administering the support for mortgage interest changes due to take place in April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: The registration of charges on a claimant’s property and loan arrangements will be managed by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the interest rate will be set, following support for mortgage interest changes in April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: A Standard Interest Rate (SIR) based on the Bank of England’s published monthly average mortgage interest rate is used to calculate the amount paid towards the interest on a claimant’s mortgage and / or loan. This rate is based on information from banks and building societies and reflects an average of current mortgage interest rates on UK loans. The current rate (from June 2017) is 2.61%. Interest will be charged on SMI loans based upon the cost of gilts as published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). This rate reflects the cost of Government borrowing. The Gilt Rate Forecast for 2017-18 is 1.5% as specified in the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook published on the 8th March 2017 by the OBR and the current forecast for 2018-19 is 1.7%.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2017 to Question 105008, on personal independence payment (PIP): appeals, what his target is for the proportion of PIP decisions to be made correctly first time; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: We aim to get the decision correct every time. The Department monitors the quality and accuracy of its decision making with a robust quality assurance framework where feedback is given to individual decision makers as required.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2017 to Question 105008, on personal independence payment: appeals, what the average cost to his Department is of each appeal.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department only holds data on internal costs for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) Appeals. The average internal cost of each appeal is £278.35 for new claims and £138.84 for reassessment appeals. Other costs are only obtainable at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Departmental Coordination

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Department manages the Jointly Managed Engagement Team; and how many members of staff from (a) HM Treasury and (b) his Department work in that team.

Damian Hinds: The HMRC Jointly Managed Engagement Team (JMET) currently has 10 members of staff that are jointly funded by HMRC and DWP. These staff sit in HMRC and are managed on a day to day basis by HMRC. However, DWP has regular Management Team meetings with JMET to discuss working arrangements, issue resolution processes and employers who regularly report Real Time Information late, in order to provide them with on-going support and education.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the peak number of claimants is for universal credit via the link service.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claimants currently claim via the link service.

Damian Hinds: The highest recorded number of people on Universal Credit live service is 390,000 (rounded to the nearest 10,000), recorded in September 2017. This is the current caseload figure for the live service.

Universal Credit: PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to avoid errors in universal credit payments where the RTI data for a claimant is late, missing or incorrect.

Damian Hinds: DWP works closely with HMRC to avoid errors in universal credit payments where RTI data is late, missing or incorrect. UC is flexible in its design where RTI data is reported late and will be taken into account from the date DWP receives the notification of earnings, which may be later that the date the earnings are actually paid to the individual. When RTI is missing or incorrect we work closely with HMRC to identify these employers in order that HMRC can provide on-going support and education to reduce late, missing and incorrect data, and as a consequence, avoid errors in UC payments from an Labour Market Intelligence perspective.

Department for Work and Pensions: Departmental Coordination

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2017 to Question 107556, on universal credit, what the aims and nature of his Department's work is with the HM Revenue and Customs Jointly Managed Engagement Team; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: DWP work in conjunction with HMRC’s Jointly Managed Engagement Team on two fronts. The first is to resolve issues where UC claimants dispute the earnings that have been received through our Real Time Information data feed and we cannot resolve this dispute within DWP. HMRC will contact the employer to clarify the queries raised. The second area of work with JMET is to reduce Late, Missing and Incorrect RTI data by identifying and educating employers who repeatedly report earnings late.

Occupational Pensions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Taylor Review of modern working practices, published in July 2017, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on improving the pensions of workers subject to insecure working practices, including supply teachers.

Guy Opperman: I have discussed important cross-cutting areas of employment practices and pensions with Ministerial colleagues including the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility. In addition, my officials have been working closely with the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy officials, in connection with both the Taylor Review of modern working practices and the DWP Review of automatic enrolment. Automatic enrolment duties apply to those who act as an employer of any eligible job holder(s) under the rules set out in the Pensions Act 2008. For example, a supply teacher working through, and being paid by, an agency will have the right to be automatically enrolled into a workplace pension through that agency if they meet the age and earnings eligibility criteria. Since the roll out of automatic enrolment began in 2012, over 8.7 million people have been enrolled into a workplace pension scheme. By the time roll out is complete, we estimate that around 10 million people will be newly saving or saving more and an additional £17bn per year of pension savings will be generated by 2019/20. This policy has been fundamental in improving pension outcomes for eligible jobholders.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether universal credit claimants migrating from the live service to the full service will experience a cessation of income.

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the timetable is for migrating universal credit claimants from the live service to the full service.

Damian Hinds: Claimants should not experience any cessation of income migrating from live service to full service. We normally begin the migration process three months after an office moves onto the full service. Our plan is to complete this activity in 2019 so that live service can be decommissioned.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many decisions on personal independence payments claims were subsequently overturned by HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available data on volumes of appeals, volumes overturned and volumes upheld can be found in quarterly published statistics from the Ministry of Justice in tables SSCS.1 and SSCS.3 of: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#history

Personal Independence Payment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that assessment criteria for personal independence payments do not prevent people with disabilities from receiving sufficient payments for their needs.

Penny Mordaunt: The purpose of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is to provide a tax-free, cash contribution of up to £141.10 a week towards the additional cost which disabled people face. PIP is a part of the wide range of other financial and practical support that may be available depending on individual circumstances.To date, there is a higher proportion of people on the top rates of Personal Independence Payment than there were on DLA – 29 per cent vs 15 per cent.We will continue to closely monitor developments across the health and disability landscape and engage with stakeholders to improve the service we provide. We are committed to ensuring that the PIP reassessment process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions.

Atos Healthcare: Complaints

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints have been made regarding Atos assessments for personal independence payments in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: From April 2013 to date, the Independent Assessment Services (formally Atos Healthcare) completed 2.3 million PIP assessments. The total number of complaints equates to less than 1% of the total number of assessments completed, as set out in the table below.  YearNumber of Complaints Received20135582014355420153442201658342017 (to 30 Sept)4040Total17428

Employment and Support Allowance

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of decisions on whether employment and support allowance claimants will not have to undergo further work capability assessments as a result of a lifelong, progressive, degenerative or incurable condition will be made as a result of a paper-based assessment.

Penny Mordaunt: This information is not available. Only Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit equivalent claimants, with the most severe and lifelong health condition or disabilities, who are unlikely to ever be able to move in to work, will fall within this criteria. We expect the majority of these claimants will be assessed on paper, and will not need a face to face assessment

Occupational Pensions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people in automatic enrolment pension schemes to make additional voluntary contributions to their pensions.

Guy Opperman: Automatic enrolment was introduced to help people save for their retirement, particularly lower earners and women who were poorly served by existing provision Over the next two years contribution levels will be increasing gradually; for an individual, these are currently at 1 per cent, rising to 3 per cent in April 2018 and 5 per cent in April 2019. Employers and individuals can already pay in more than the legal minimum should they wish, and some already do. We are currently reviewing automatic enrolment to build on its success to date; this includes looking at how individuals can be helped to have a stronger sense of personal ownership of their workplace pensions, and be better enabled to maximise retirement savings. The review work is led by a DWP team and supported by an external advisory group. We will report to Parliament by the end of 2017.

Department for Work and Pensions: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19 financial years.

Damian Hinds: Like all departments, the Department for Work and Pensions is planning for a number of EU Exit scenarios. Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit. We have reprioritised during this financial year as necessary, whilst the costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 will be affected by negotiations over the coming months. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that the government will guarantee European Union funding for all structural and investment fund projects signed before the Autumn Statement 2016, and those signed after that date but before we leave the European Union so long as they are good value for money and in line with domestic strategic priorities, even when these projects continue after we have left.

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2017 to Question 108912, on Department for Work and Pensions: telephone services, where the income from telephone services referred to in that Answer is applied.

Caroline Dinenage: As mentioned in my previous answer to 108912, DWP does not receive any income from any of its telephone lines including 0345.

Universal Credit: Disability

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of disabled people who will be enrolled on to universal credit by 31 January 2018.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available

Universal Credit: Disability

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disabled people are in receipt of universal credit.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to publish monthly the number of disabled people receiving universal credit alongside other monthly statistics on universal credit.

Damian Hinds: As part of the experimental official statistics, information is available on the number of households on Universal Credit which were entitled to additional support following a finding of limited capability for work. Around 12,000 households that received a payment of Universal Credit in June 2017 were entitled to this additional support – 3% of all households in payment. Further information on these statistics can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics In response to requests for information on Universal Credit we have consulted users on the expansion of Universal Credit statistics. We are currently reviewing the responses and if numbers of disabled people on UC prove to be a high priority for our users we will consider publishing them regularly, subject to sufficient quality assurance.

Jobcentres: Glasgow South West

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre clients have been assisted by an Armed Forces Champion in the Glasgow South West constituency in the last 12 months.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on this subject is available at a Jobcentre level. The Govan Jobcentre catchment area covers most of the Glasgow South West constituency. In the last 12 months, we have worked with all those who provided information that they were ex Armed Forces which was 48 customers, of these 14 have moved into employment. Govan Jobcentre is part of Glasgow Central District which has an Armed Forces champion in every Jobcentre. The role of the Champion is to ensure all our Work Coaches are full briefed on what support is available to ex armed forces customers. We have a range of partner organisations that we will signpost this customer group to for additional support. Within the Glasgow South West constituency is “The Coming Home Centre” in the Pearce Institute, Govan this is a well-used resource for Veterans and our Work Coaches actively promote this facility to all customers who declare a forces background.

State Retirement Pensions: Midlothian

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will carry out an assessment of the effect on women in Midlothian constituency of changes to the state pension age for women born in the 1950s.

Guy Opperman: The Department has no plans to carry out such an assessment.The decision to equalise the State Pension age for men and women dates back to 1995 and addresses a longstanding inequality between men and women’s State Pension age. If State Pension ages had not been equalised, women would be spending 40% of their adult life in retirement and this proportion would be continuing to increase.The 2010-15 Government made the decision to bring in further changes to the State Pension age, following extensive debates in both Houses of Parliament. These changes were introduced in order to protect public finances and maintain the sustainability of the state pension over the long term. Life expectancy at age 65 increased by 5 years for men and almost 4 years for women in the 20 years to 2009. The 2011 Act accelerated the equalisation of women’s State Pension age by 18 months and brought forward the increase in men and women’s State Pension age to 66 by five and a half years, relative to the previous timetables. Failing to act in light of compelling demographic evidence would have been irresponsible and would have placed an unfair fiscal burden on the working population.The number of older women (50-64) in work is at a record high, and the most current average age of exit from the labour market for women is 63.6 – well above the previous women’s State Pension age of 60.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will release data to (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations on the claimants due to migrate from legacy benefits to universal credit on a daily basis.

Damian Hinds: Migrations from existing benefits to Universal Credit currently occur following a relevant change of circumstance that would previously have prompted a new claim to another existing benefit. It is not possible to predict when such a change may occur so the data referred to is not available.

Food Poverty

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 3 February 2017 to Question 62617, on food poverty, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people in work do not experience food poverty resulting in a reliance on food banks.

Damian Hinds: We have a well established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans. During 2017/18 we will spend £95 billion on working age benefits. We are determined to make work pay and to support people into work whilst protecting the most vulnerable in society.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how representations from hon. members acting on behalf of constituents about benefit claim decisions are communicated to case managers and decision makers working for his Department.

Damian Hinds: Representations from Honourable Members are handled by specialist correspondence teams within the Department. These teams liaise with the relevant area of the Department to provide an appropriate response. The Department has an established feedback process which would be used should Case Managers and Decision Makers need to be made aware of representations by Honourable Members.

Jobcentres: Closures

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be affected by the closure of jobcentres; and what the roles and functions of those jobs will be.

Damian Hinds: We currently have approximately 440 people nationally at risk of redundancy, less than our original estimate, as a result of the changes to our estate. These people work in a wide variety of job roles and functions, which includes those working or based in jobcentres, processing centres and in Corporate Centre roles. However we expect this number to reduce as we redeploy as many people as we can across DWP and other government departments. We are continuing redeployment activity and therefore the number at risk may still reduce further. To place these fissures in context the overall DWP workforce is approximately 80,000.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Vegetables

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote increased vegetable consumption at the Food Foundations Veg Summit on 24 October 2017.

George Eustice: At the Food Foundations vegetable Summit of 24 October, the Minister took part in a panel to discuss vegetable production. At the Summit, I pledged that Government would launch a new web market that food producers, including vegetable producers, could use to promote their products to public sector bodies to increase public procurement of nutritious local food.

Primates: Pets

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prohibit the sale and keeping of primates as pets; and whether the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately-Kept Non-Human Primates will be included in his Department's review of statutory animal welfare codes.

George Eustice: Monkeys and other primates are wild animals with specific, complex needs and it is against the law to keep them in the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. Defra is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply minimum standards to online pet advertising. The standards include a requirement on the five participating websites, Gumtree, Pre Loved, Pets4Homes, Viva St and Friday Ads to remove any adverts for primates. In addition Defra is updating the licensing regime for certain activities involving animals including pet shops and other pet sellers. Under the new plans, businesses selling pets, including those selling online, will be required to give buyers written information about the animals they buy, with details of how to meet the five welfare needs of their pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This advice is particularly important when buying exotic pets, which have very specific welfare needs. Defra keeps all the welfare codes under review, and amongst the companion animal codes, the ones for cats, dogs and horses were considered most in need of updating. A review of the primate code will be undertaken in due course.

Pet Travel Scheme

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the EU-UK Pet Passporting Scheme will continue to operate (a) during any transitional period and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Whilst we are a member of the European Union we remain signed up to the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme. The Government is negotiating our exit from the European Union. Defra is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to look at future arrangements, including those for the Pet Travel Scheme. The Government is proposing a time-limited implementation period. The detail of implementation period arrangements, including for the Pet Travel Scheme, will be a matter for negotiation.

National Parks: EU Grants and Loans

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding each national park in England has received in each of the last five financial years from the European Commission and its programmes and agencies.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Air Pollution

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of when air quality in each area of the UK will be compatible with the UK's legal obligations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In July 2017 the Government published the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, announcing £255 million for local councils to accelerate their air quality plans. This is in addition to the £2.7 billion already committed to tackle poor air quality and reduce vehicle emissions, bringing our total investment to £3 billion.

Department for Communities and Local Government

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the compatibility  of the planned Holocaust Memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens with Westminster City Council's statues and monuments policy; and when that policy was first brought to the attention of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Foundation considered Westminster City Council's Statues and Monuments Policy as part of its search of almost 50 possible sites. The Government believes that the proposed Holocaust Memorial will be of national significance and an appropriate addition to Victoria Tower Gardens.

Job Creation: Enterprise Zones

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many new jobs have been created by enterprise zones since 2015.

Jake Berry: From January to September 2016, Local Enterprise Partnerships reported that Enterprise Zones had attracted 9,324 new jobs. Monitoring data for the remainder of 2016 will be published later this year.Local Enterprise Partnerships report that in total, Enterprise Zones have attracted more than 35,000 jobs across England since April 2012.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which criteria his Department uses to assess the effectiveness and value for money of the troubled families programme.

Mr Marcus Jones: The current Troubled Families Programme is subject to a comprehensive national evaluation which will assess its effectiveness and value for money. This will report at intervals during the lifetime of the programme.The evaluation data published alongside the programme’s first annual report to Parliament (published in April 2017: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-the-troubled-families-programme-2015-to-2020 ) provides baseline data for future impact and economic evaluation.The assessment of the current programme’s effectiveness will be based on reductions in problems experienced by families. These problems relate to the eligibility criteria for entering the programme. The eligibility criteria are listed in the document “Financial Framework for the Expanded Troubled Families Programme” on page 8 (published April 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/409682/Financial_Framework_for_the_Expanded_Troubled_Families_Programme_april_2015.pdf).A cost savings calculator which local authorities use to upload local costs will enable a national cost benefit analysis to be undertaken later in the programme using unit costs attached to outcomes from national administrative datasets and locally submitted costs data. Cost benefit analysis at local authority level will show any costs avoided and savings through the troubled families programme.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funds his Department has allocated to the troubled families programme for (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Marcus Jones: The budget for the Troubled Families Programme for 2017-18 is £239 million; for 2018-19 £180 million; and for 2019-20 £180 million. £171 million was made available for the programme in 2016/17. Additional funding was brought forward from the previous Spending Review. A total of £920 million has been committed to the programme over its lifetime of 2015 – 2020.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 49444 on families: disadvantage, how many families have been turned around in 2017 to date; and how many families his Department plans to turn around in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020.

Mr Marcus Jones: As set out in my answer to the Hon Member for Denton and Reddish to Question UIN 49444 on 27 October 2016, ‘turning around’ a family was a phrase used in the first Troubled Families Programme (2012 – 2015). In the current programme (2015-2020), local authorities can claim results payments for families when they can demonstrate that significant and sustained progress has been made against every problem a family is facing, or that continuous employment has been achieved.The programme aims to achieve significant and sustained improvement for up to 400,000 complex families with multiple high-cost problems families over its lifetime (2015-2020). The programme’s first annual report to Parliament (published in April 2017 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-evaluation-of-the-troubled-families-programme-2015-to-2020) reported that almost 53,000 families had already made significant and sustained progress, with 3 years of the programme left to run. The next update of these figures will be published at the end of this financial year.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the troubled families programme.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how his Department works with the (a) Department for Work and Pensions, (b) Ministry of Justice, (c) Home Office, (d) Department for Education and (e) Department of Health to deliver the troubled families programme.

Mr Marcus Jones: Governance structures are in place to ensure my officials work closely with those in other Government departments, including, but not limited to, the five highlighted here. This is underpinned by extensive informal contact. Officials work together to identify and agree actions to support the delivery of the Troubled Families Programme. This also ensures that other policy areas can share in the learning from the Troubled Families Programme.In addition, I am in contact with my opposite numbers in other departments, including the Secretary of State for Education, through our attendance at the Social Reform (Home Affairs) sub-Committee and a number of Inter-Ministerial Groups which oversee policy areas relevant to the programme, such as on mental health, gangs, and violence against women and girls.

Families: Disadvantaged

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what non-governmental organisations the Department (a) currently works with and (b) has worked with in the last five years to deliver the troubled families programme.

Mr Marcus Jones: Delivery of the Troubled Families Programme is led by local authorities. They engage with a wide range of local partners, both governmental and non-governmental, such as health, the police, schools, youth justice, JobCentre Plus and organisations from the voluntary and community sector. It is up to each local authority to decide how best to do this; no two local Troubled Families Programmes are identical.

Housing: Sales

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to improve the consumer rights of freeholders purchasing new build homes.

Alok Sharma: It is vital that as housing supply increases, the quality of new build homes continues to improve. In our Housing White paper, published earlier this year, we set out our ambition for a housing market that works for everyone. We expect all housing developers to deliver good quality housing, to deliver it on time, and to treat house buyers fairly.Where something goes wrong, house builders and warranty providers should fulfil their obligations to put this right. The industry-led Consumer Code for Homebuilders, where applicable, also provides protection to purchasers of new homes.Last year the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment produced a report called More Homes, Fewer Complaints, which made a series of recommendations to improve quality and redress. One of their recommendations was to establish a New Homes Ombudsman. We are considering this as part of our wider ambition to improve redress arrangements in all parts of the housing market.We also want to make the homebuying process cheaper, faster and less stressful. In October we launched a call for evidence on the home buying and selling process in order to gather views from industry about areas for improvement, and from the public about parts of the process they find most difficult to navigate.

Northamptonshire County Council: Finance

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the Local Government Association's financial peer review of Northamptonshire County Council.

Mr Marcus Jones: Holding answer received on 30 October 2017



The recent Local Government Association financial peer review, conducted at the request of Northamptonshire County Council, made a number of observations regarding the Council’s budget planning and delivery, and included a series of recommendations. These recommendations were bespoke to the particular circumstances in Northamptonshire, and decisions on how to respond are properly the business of the Council itself.

Leasehold

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to advise homebuyers of the potential risks of buying leasehold properties; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 30 October 2017



The Government’s consultation, Tackling Unfair Practices in the Leasehold Market, considered a number of issues within the leasehold sector including the sale of new built leasehold houses, and onerous ground rents. The consultation also sought views on what further areas of leasehold reform should be prioritised and why. The public consultation, which closed on 19 September, received around 6,000 replies. We are carefully analysing the responses, and will issue the Government response in due course.On the 22 October, the Government launched a call for evidence to improve the homebuying and selling process, in order to make it cheaper, faster and less stressful. This will seek views on how to better enable consumers to make an informed choice around the type of property bought and its tenure.

Housing: Sales

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with house-builders on sales of (a) leasehold houses and (b) freeholds to other companies after purchases are completed.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 30 October 2017



My Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, met with the Home Builders Federation on 12 September to discuss ending the development of new build leasehold houses and the 'Tackling unfair practices in the leasehold market' consultation, which referred to developers selling on freehold interests to third parties after a lease has been purchased.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the specific cause of the fire at Grenfell Tower has been identified; and what that cause was.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Affordable Housing

Nigel Huddleston: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to increase the number of affordable homes.

Alok Sharma: The Government is investing over £9 billion between 2016-2021 to deliver a wide range of affordable housing - to meet the needs of a broad range of people, including homes for social rent. We have also confirmed long-term rent certainty for social landlords – creating a stable investment environment to support councils and housing associations to build more affordable homes.

EU Grants and Loans

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to consult local authorities on proposals for a Shared Prosperity Fund; and whether he plans to consult local authorities in Wales.

Jake Berry: The United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund will seek to improve productivity and reduce economic inequalities across the country, including in Wales.My Department continues its work on designing the new Fund and, as the Government has committed, will engage local authorities in all parts of the country.

Temporary Accommodation: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of children in temporary accommodation in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2017 to Question 107742, on Department for Communities and Local Government: procurement, how many project managers employed by his Department have the authority to authorise projects of a value in excess of £10,000.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fracking

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Prime Minister, Official Report, column 300, of 25 October 2017, what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the proposals to be brought to Parliament on fracking.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what contingency funding his Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) current, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial year.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government is committing new spending to the preparations for Brexit, and the Treasury has committed over £250 million of new money to departments in this financial year. My Department is doing all the work necessary to prepare for our exit from the EU.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) current and (b) 2018-19 financial year.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department's EU Exit plans are well developed and have been designed to provide the flexibility to respond to a negotiated agreement, as well as preparing us for the eventuality of leaving without a deal. The Government is committing new spending to the preparations for EU Exit, and the Treasury has committed over £250 million of new money to departments in this financial year.

First Time Buyers

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many starter homes have been completed since 2015.

Alok Sharma: No starter homes have been completed to date. However, the £1.2 billion Starter Home Land Fund is supporting the preparation of brownfield sites for delivery of homes.The Homes and Communities Agency has already invested £126 million in over 40 sites with a capacity for over 5,000 homes.

*No heading*

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on his Department's priorities after the UK leaves the EU.

Sajid Javid: Our exit from the EU is a time to look ahead with optimism – an opportunity to improve the delivery of investment and local growth across England. I am working with my colleagues across Government to make a resounding success of Brexit.

*No heading*

Paul Scully: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authorities in regulating taxi and private hire vehicles.

Sajid Javid: Local authorities must ensure appropriate standards to support safe and quality services for passengers. However, as part of exercising this duty, any licencing decisions should support open, competitive and functioning markets.

*No heading*

Mary Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that people benefit from the economic growth delivered through the Northern Powerhouse.

Jake Berry: People who, like me, live in the North are seeing record investment in transport already, releasing the potential of our economy to be more than the sum of its parts. The Northern Powerhouse economy is larger than Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland’s combined: on its own, it would be the 8th largest economy in Europe.

*No heading*

Peter Heaton-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that coastal areas in North Devon receive an equitable proportion of funding for projects which benefit coastal communities.

Jake Berry: I announced on 4 September that Coastal Communities Fund Round 5 will open for applications in early 2018 with £40 million of funding available.Hon Members with coastal constituencies should encourage prospective applicants to make an early start in developing their plans for revitalising their local communities.

Wales Office

Ports: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if the Government will take steps to ensure that the cost for any extra facilities or infrastructure required by Welsh ports to meet their legal requirements at the UK's point of exit from the EU will be funded either directly by the Government or through additional funding to the Welsh Government for that purpose.

Alun Cairns: Since the vote to leave the EU I, as well as a number of ministerial colleagues, have visited ports in Wales to discuss a number of issues, including their operational readiness for our leaving the European Union. The Government is committed to ensuring that withdrawal from the EU is a successful and smooth process for all parts of the UK, and we are conscious that a significant proportion of the traffic at some ports is not currently subject to customs controls. We want to ensure that traffic continues to flow freely at all UK ports and airports, including Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, and we will seek to ensure that customs arrangements and mechanisms are as frictionless as possible, and that trade fluidity is maintained. Officials in the Wales Office and colleagues across Government are working with port operators and other stakeholders in Wales to support the smooth and orderly implementation of these new arrangements.

Wales Office: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across Government, including the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales, is undertaking a wide range of analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy in order to support negotiations. We are looking at over 50 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory issues. While the Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister, the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales work closely with them and other Government departments on all issues relating to EU Exit.

European Union: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in Wales who have been participants in (a) INTERREG, (b) Horizon 2020, (c) EaSi, (d) COSME and (e) Erasmus+ in each of the last five years.

Alun Cairns: The UK Government does not hold official figures related to INTERREG/European Territorial Cooperation programmes and COSME below UK level. At May 2017, there were 162 Horizon 2020 participations from Wales. The Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) programme is managed directly by the European Commission. Most actions under the programme are directed at stakeholders other than Government, and require participants to bid for funding. For the most part, project tenders come from consortia of stakeholders (academics, social partners and civil society) working with counterparts in other Member States. While the information on UK beneficiaries is publicly available on the Commission website, this is not broken down by region. The most recently published figures available show the following Erasmus+ participation in Wales: 2013/142012/132011/122010/112009/10847703688630582

HM Treasury

Environment Protection: Expenditure

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the amount and proportion of central government spending on environmental objectives in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: As set out in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2017, central governmental spending on environmental objectives was £4,496m, £4,911m, £5,365m, £5,360m and £4,861m between 2012-13 and 2016-17. As a proportion of total central government expenditure, this is 0.87%, 0.93%, 0.99%, 0.97% and 0.86% respectively.

Environment Protection: EU Grants and Loans

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what amount of EU structural and investment funds will be spent on UK environmental objectives in each financial year between the current financial year and 2020-21.

Elizabeth Truss: The spending of EU structural and investment funds is a devolved matter. Currently, in England, the total forecast expenditure on environmental objectives is €2,406m (€601m per annum) from 2017-18 to 2020-21. Expenditure will fluctuate from year to year depending on the flow of projects and the number of applications for the Regional Development Fund and the Rural Development Programme for England. The UK’s participation in the Funds after our departure from the EU is subject to the outcome of exit negotiations, but the government has guaranteed that all European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIFs) projects signed before we leave the EU, will be fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

Natural Disasters: British Overseas Territories

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to recent emergency funding for recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, if he will take steps to guarantee contingency funding outwith Overseas Development Assistance for future events affecting British Overseas Territories.

Elizabeth Truss: There are no restrictions in UK or international law on the support for reconstruction that we can provide to the overseas territories. The government has committed more than £60m to date for immediate relief and convened a new ministerial group to agree the UK government’s approach to assist the territories as they move from immediate relief to longer term recovery following Hurricane Irma.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2017 to Question 7789, on children: daycare, whether there has been a change to the figures for those people signing up since that Answer; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: In response to the question about the number of parents in receipt of Tax-Free Childcare, I refer the honourable member to my response to Parliamentary Question (106916) on 16 October. The latest figures for 30 hours free childcare are published by the Department for Education and can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility-codes-issued-and-validated#history

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional funds he plans to allocate to the Scottish Government to prepare for when the UK leaves the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: My Written Ministerial Statement of 12 October set out the UK Government’s approach to preparations for EU Exit. Where additional funding is provided to UK Government departments to prepare for EU Exit, the Scottish Government will receive additional funding through the Barnett system.

Carers

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of caring responsibilities on (a) labour productivity and (b) economic growth.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government has not made an estimate of the effect of having caring responsibilities on labour productivity or economic growth. The Government is committed to continuing to support carers to provide care as they wish, and to do so in a way that supports their own health & wellbeing, employment and other life chances.

Retail Trade: Taxation

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 113 of the HM Revenue and Customs Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, what assessment he has made of the level of compliance with tax legislation of stores and retailers which offer discounts to HM Revenue and Customs employees.

Mel Stride: HMRC’s contractual relationship is with Edenred, the managed service provider for the Crown Commercial Services Employee Services framework. HMRC has no contractual relationship with the individual retailers and therefore no basis to conduct tax compliance assessments.

Credit

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to promote safer forms of credit for the most financially excluded.

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the rent-to-buy sector assesses the ability of customers to repay their loans prior to signing contracts.

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure effective regulation of the rent-to-own sector in response to the Financial Conduct Authority's recent ruling on BrightHouse.

Stephen Barclay: The government transferred the regulation of consumer credit to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2014. The FCA’s rules are binding, and the FCA has a wide enforcement toolkit to take action wherever these rules are breached. The FCA’s rules already set out that firms should assess each customer’s creditworthiness and treat their customers fairly. The FCA’s recent announcement that Brighthouse will pay over £14.8 million in redress to 249,000 customers in respect of agreements which may not have been affordable and payments which should have been refunded demonstrates the effectiveness of FCA regulation in this sector. The FCA is also consulting on further clarifying these rules. On 31 July, the FCA published a consultation on new rules and guidance on assessing creditworthiness and affordability. The FCA proposes to clarify in its rulebook that firms should consider not just whether a customer will repay, but whether a customer can repay affordably and without significantly affecting their wider financial situation. The government welcomes this clarification, and the ongoing work of the FCA to review the high-cost credit market, including the rent-to-own sector. The government is committed to facilitating sustainable financial services that give consumers greater access to credit. This includes support for the credit union sector, which provides an accessible alternative to high-cost credit. From 2018, a greater proportion of funds recovered from illegal money lenders will be allocated to incentivise vulnerable people to join, save, and borrow with a credit union instead of turning to loan sharks.

Treasury: Brexit

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by his Department in the current financial year in preparation for the UK leaving the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: Like all departments, HMT is planning for a number of EU Exit scenarios to make sure we are ready on Day 1. Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit. Additional funding received from the reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates.

Treasury: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Barclay: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the EU, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. HM Treasury is working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a holistic programme of analysis across government.

Self-employed

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been registered as self-employed in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: The answer is provided in the table below. Tax yearNumber of individuals (thousands)2004-054,6402005-064,7102006-074,8402007-084,8902008-09not available2009-104,8802010-115,1102011-125,4902012-135,5002013-145,6202014-155,600Notes on the TableIndividuals are included here according to whether they completed Sole Trader and/or Partnership schedules in the Self Assessment Main Tax Return, or if they completed relevant parts of a Short Tax Return. Such information is required for all sole traders, and for all shares in partnerships, trading at any time in the tax year. These estimates are taken from published National Statistics table 3.10, part of HMRC’s Personal Incomes Statistics, for which 2014-15 is the latest available tax year. The Personal Incomes Statistics are based on the annual Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI), which is based on sample data. As is the case with the published Personal Incomes Statistics, these figures are statistical estimates and will be subject to sampling variation. For more information about the SPI, please refer to:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-incomes-statistics

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Location

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants will move department due to the machinery of government changes announced on 20 July 2017, broken down by department.

Caroline Nokes: No civil servants have moved, or are planned to move, as a result of the machinery of government changes announced on 20 July 2017.

Low Pay: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people in work in (a) St Helens North, (b) St Helens and (c) the North West earn less than the full-time equivalent of the national living wage.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly earnings in (a) St Helens North, (b) St Helens and (c) the North West were in each year since 2010.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 158.38 KB)

Electoral Register

Chris Elmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward proposals for automatic voter registration.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments on the potential use of automatic voter registration.

Chris Elmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the electoral system of automatic voter registration for elections in the UK.

Chris Skidmore: I refer you to the answers previously given to the Members for Oldham West and Royton and Linlithgow and East Falkirk, PQ1118 answered on 3rd July 2017. There are no plans to introduce automatic registration, as it contradicts the principles underpinning Individual Electoral Registration. Making an application to register to vote is the right of individuals and can be done easily online, in as little as three minutes, as well as using the traditional paper form, if people prefer. The 2017 UK parliamentary general election was fought on the largest ever register, according to initial estimates.

Part-time Employment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the change in the number of people in part-time employment has been in the last 10 years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response
(PDF Document, 100.96 KB)

Government Communication Service: NATO

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 October 2017 to Question 105830, on the Government Communication Service, what visits were undertaken in relation to the specified work with NATO; where those visits were to; and what the cost of each such visit was.

Chris Skidmore: Since its inception in September 2015, the GCS Knowledge & Capability Unit has made 11 visits to NATO HQ in Brussels on official business. The average cost per trip was £197.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to bring forward legislation to extend the franchise to UK nationals who have lived abroad for more than 15 years.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Halifax (Ms Lynch) on Thursday 7 September 2017 to written question 6973.

Constituencies

Jim McMahon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to bring forward the recommendations of the proposed Boundary Review 2018 in England.

Chris Skidmore: The current boundary review is proceeding in accordance with legislation passed in the 2010-15 Parliament under which all four Boundary Commissions, including the Boundary Commission for England, are required to submit their final reports in September 2018.These reforms will ensure fair and equal representation for the voting public across the United Kingdom.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency funding his Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial years.

Damian Green: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade

Arms Trade: Export Credit Guarantees

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost was to the public purse of export credit guarantees for arms sales and other military assistance in 2016.

Mark Garnier: UK Export Finance charges a premium for all the export credit guarantee support it provides to reflect the risk assumed. The premium must cover anticipated long-term losses resulting from claims paid, as well as UKEF’s operating costs. Through this arrangement UKEF aims to operate at no net cost to the taxpayer. No claims were paid in respect of defence business in 2016.

Iran: Exports

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to UK Defence and Security Export Statistics for 2016, how much of the £5.9 billion that the UK exported, based on orders, was paid for by the Government of Iran.

Mark Garnier: The DIT Defence and Security Organisation recorded no new orders of defence exports to Iran in 2016 as the sale, supply, transfer or export to Iran, of all military goods and technology as listed in the UK Military List remain banned under the proliferation-related sanctions.

Overseas Trade

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the revised tariff rate quotas for the UK that will be lodged with the WTO will constitute a technical rectification.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to facilitate the implementation of the UK's schedules and quotas at the WTO under the modification procedure.

Greg Hands: As set out in the UK-EU letter of the 11 October 2017, in order to minimise disruption to global trade as we leave the EU, we will replicate as far as possible, our current obligations in the World Trade Organization (WTO). We recognise that tariff rate quotas are a particularly complex issue and we are working closely with the EU and other WTO members to maintain existing levels of market access.

World Trade Organisation

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK and EU's joint position on WTO schedules of commitments on other WTO member states.

Greg Hands: The UK and the EU have proposed an approach that would minimise disruption to trade with other WTO member states by maintaining the current levels of market access set out in our WTO schedules.

World Trade Organisation

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the date when schedules and tariff rate quotas for the UK will be agreed at the WTO.

Greg Hands: This Department is preparing the necessary schedules, so that they are ready for when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019.It should also be noted that the UK is a full and founding member of the World Trade Organization and already has schedules which it shares at present with the EU Member States.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) current and (b) 2018-19 financial year.

Greg Hands: Like all departments, the Department of International Trade (DIT) is planning for a number of scenarios to make sure we are ready on Day 1 of EU Exit.Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit.DIT has received additional funding this year, and has reprioritised to meet new pressures arising from Brexit preparations.Additional funding received from the reserve for 2017/8 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates.The costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 will be affected by negotiations over the coming months.

Department for International Trade: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Greg Hands: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the EU, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.The Department for International Trade is working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a holistic programme of analysis across government.

ICT: Trade Agreements

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans the Government has to bring forward a schedule of commitments on trade in IT equipment to be agreed with new trading partners after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: In pursuing technical rectification of UK tariff schedules at the World Trade Organization (WTO), we aim to replicate as far as possible our current obligations; this includes commitments under the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996, and the ITA expansion declaration of 2015.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Government Property Unit

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2017 to Question 107564, on the Government Property Unit, for what reason that Answer is not consistent with the information held by the Cabinet Office and set out in the Answer of 12 October 2017 to Question 105820 of the Government Property Unit.

Matt Hancock: The response to 105820 contained information concerning one of our Arm’s Length Bodies, details of which are not held centrally here in DCMS.

China: Tourism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department had with the Chinese Government on increasing tourism from China to the UK.

John Glen: During her visit to China last year, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport had very constructive discussions with her Chinese counterparts about cooperation to boost tourism between the UK and China. We look forward to continuing those discussions during the forthcoming UK-China High Level People to People Dialogue. The Government wants to increase Chinese visitors to all parts of the UK, and we would encourage businesses across the tourism and hospitality sector to sign up to VisitBritain’s GREAT China Welcome Charter.

Local Press

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local newspapers in the UK in each year since 2010.

Matt Hancock: We have made no such estimate.

Cosmetics: Video Recordings

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2017 to Question 9919, if her Department will make an analysis of the harm done by skin bleaching videos and options for regulation.

Matt Hancock: We have no specific plans to analyse the potential effect of videos demonstrating skin bleaching. However, as part of the work on the Digital Charter, we are considering a range of options to counter internet harms. This includes an Internet Safety Strategy, published on 11 October, which considers the responsibilities of companies to their users, the use of technical solutions to prevent online harms and government's role in supporting users.

Social Enterprises: EU Grants and Loans

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure that charities and social enterprises that receive funding from the EU can receive a similar level of funding after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure that charities and social enterprises can bid for funding from the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is continuing to assess the impact of leaving the EU on charities and social enterprises, which includes access to future funding. Officials in my department are working with colleagues across government to inform plans for future funds, which includes the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Olympic Games 2012

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the assets at the Olympic Park have been sold; what revenue those sales have yielded; and what further such sales of assets are planned.

Tracey Crouch: The London Legacy Development Corporation, the body responsible for the regeneration of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and surrounding area following the London 2012 Games, owns the assets on the Park and is responsible for their disposal.To date the Legacy Corporation has entered into development agreements for three housing neighbourhoods on the Park - Chobham Manor, East Wick and Sweetwater - for which it has so far received £38 million in deposits and land receipts.In addition the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the Legacy Corporation's predecessor, sold land at Sugar House Lane near to the Park for £19.5m in 2011.Total revenue to date is, therefore, £57.5 million.Future receipts will be generated as the housing sites under construction are built out and development agreements are entered into for additional housing sites at Stratford Waterfront, Pudding Mill and Rick Roberts Way.The Legacy Corporation has also entered into a long-term lease for the new business district being developed on the site of the former Press and Broadcast Centre, Here East, and long-term leases will be let to the institutions involved in the planned culture and education district on south of the Park.

Internet: Rural Areas

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the economic effect of slow internet connection in rural communities.

Matt Hancock: The Department released The UK Broadband Impact Study in 2013 which made an assessment of the impacts of faster broadband including the economic impacts. The study can be accessed on the Department’s website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2). The Department will be producing a new impact study in 2018.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what contingency funding her Department has allocated in relation to the Government's negotiations on the UK leaving the EU for the (a) current, (b) 2018-19 and (c) 2019-20 financial year.

Matt Hancock: The costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 and 2019-20 will be affected by our negotiations with the EU over the coming months.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Matt Hancock: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the EU, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.   DCMS is working with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a holistic programme of analysis across government.

Department of Health

Prisons: Health Services

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which prisons in England and Wales have contracted out health services to non-NHS providers; and if he will list those providers for each prison.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning healthcare in all prisons in England. However, there are five prisons where primary healthcare services are commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). In these five prisons some secondary healthcare services, including substance misuse and mental health, are commissioned by NHS England. The National Prison Healthcare Board oversees the provision of relevant services which are delivered under contract to MOJ. Local Health Boards are responsible for commissioning healthcare services in public sector prisons in Wales.

Mental Health Services: Stun Guns

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information NHS England holds on the use of tasers in mental health units.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England does not hold information on the use of Tasers in mental health units.

Nurses: Pay

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Government will provide devolved administrations with increased funding to pay for lifting the cap on nursing pay in the NHS.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the cap on nursing pay will be lifted for all nursing staff working in the NHS at bands 5 to 9.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the pay award for nursing staff in the NHS will be at a higher level than inflation.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether additional funding will be made available to cover the increase in pay for nursing staff working in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: For 2018/19, we will no longer have an across-the-board policy of 1% basic pay awards. The detail of 2018/19 pay remits for specific pay review bodies, including the NHS Pay Review Body which makes recommendations on the pay award for nurses and other Agenda for Change staff, will be discussed and set out in due course. Any changes will need to be justified by evidence on recruitment and retention or by productivity gains. Departments, including the Department of Health, will continue to look at efficiency and value for money in their budgets. As health is devolved, it is for the Scottish Government to determine pay for National Health Service workers in Scotland. The Barnett Formula continues to operate normally, as per the Statement of Funding Policy.

Abortion

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the (a) English and (b) Welsh resident population who live within (i) five, (ii) 10 and (iii) 15 miles of a registered NHS or independent abortion clinic by NUTS 1 region.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of illegal (a) surgical and (b) medical abortions which took place before 24 weeks' gestation in each of the last five fiscal years.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) NHS and (b) independent premises are regulated for (i) surgical abortions only, (ii) medical abortions only and (iii) both surgical and medical abortions.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No assessment has been made by the Department of the proportion of the resident population of England and Wales who live within five, 10 and 15 miles of a registered National Health Service or independent abortion clinic. Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for ensuring the appropriate provision of abortion services in their area based upon the needs of the resident population. NHS hospitals do not require approval from the Secretary of State for Health to provide abortion services. The information requested for approved independent sector abortion premises is provided in the following table:Type of termination of pregnancy serviceNumber of approved independent sector premisesSurgical abortions only6Medical abortions only107Both surgical and medical abortions55The Department has made no estimate of the number of illegal abortions before 24 weeks gestation. Abortion procured outside the criteria set by the Abortion Act 1967 is a criminal offence. Police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service are responsible for investigating and bringing prosecutions in cases of suspected illegal abortion.

Eating Disorders

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding NHS England has allocated to specialised inpatient eating disorder services in each of the last six (a) financial and (b) calendar years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not collected in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of children waiting for mental health support services in (a) Hounslow, (b) London and (c) England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held in the format requested. Data on waiting times for children referred to mental health support services is not held. Data on the count of people under 18, who have a referral recorded that started on or after 1 January 2016 is reported by NHS Digital and can be viewed via the following link: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/mhldsreports

Mental Health Services: Children

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of children on the waiting list for mental health support services in (a) Hounslow, (b) London and (c) England who have witnessed domestic abuse.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold this information.

NHS Trusts: Greater London

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital trusts in London have recorded budget deficits in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Of the 18 acute trusts and five specialist trusts currently in operation in the London region, three reported a year-end deficit in 2012-13; five reported a year-end deficit in 2013-14; nine reported a year-end deficit in 2014-15; 19 reported a year-end deficit in 2015-16; and 14 reported a year-end deficit in 2016-17.

NHS: Vacancies

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of vacancies in the NHS diagnostic workforce; and what assessment he has made of the implications of that number of vacancies for (a) meeting cancer waiting time targets and (b) introducing FIT to bowel screening to the level planned.

Steve Brine: The data on the number of vacancies in the National Health Service diagnostic workforce is not available centrally. NHS Digital collects data on the number of advertised vacancies across the NHS. The NHS vacancy statistics for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 shows there were 1,261 full-time equivalent vacancies with ‘diagnostic’ in the title. The NHS is meeting six out of eight cancer waiting times standards (August 2017). This is despite 970,000 more people being urgently referred in 2016/17 compared to 2009/10 - an increase of 108%. Specific work has been taking place on the recruitment of Clinical (non-medical) Endoscopists. Progress is on track to meet the target of 200 new non-medical Endoscopists by the end of 2018. This work is taking place alongside a greater focus on the 62 day cancer waiting time target with investments in pathway coordinators and redesigned, quicker clinical pathways. Public Health England, which leads the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) screening programme, is working with Health Education England and others to understand the training and capacity demand deriving from the introduction of FIT in April 2018.

Department of Health: Brexit

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department was consulted by the Department for Exiting the European Union on the economic impact assessments conducted for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government is carrying out an ongoing programme of comprehensive analytical work that will inform our negotiating position with the European Union, to define our deep and special partnership with the EU and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the United Kingdom’s domestic policies and frameworks.The Department of Health has been working, and continues to work with officials across government, in close coordination with the Department for Exiting the European Union, to ensure the delivery of a comprehensive programme of analysis across government.

NHS: Dentistry

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the outcome of the recent pilot in Bradford and its surrounding area on improving NHS dental availability.

Steve Brine: NHS England has advised that the outcome of this pilot has been fed into the commissioning plan agreed within Yorkshire and the Humber to support increased access in identified areas. Bradford South is one of those within this group. Work is ongoing to consider how this will be implemented in this area in 2018/19.

Dental Services

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what average level of Units of Dental Activity were commissioned per capita in (a) Bradford South constituency, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The information available is set out below:  EnglandContracts YearTotal Contracted Units of Dental Activity (UDA)Popluation estimates  (Mid-Year)Mid-Year population estimatesAverage Contracted UDA per Capita2012/1390,242,599201353,865,8171.682013/1489,099,299201454,375,2281.642014/1588,827,289201554,786,3271.622015/1688,536,696201655,325,7831.602016/1787,933,173201655,325,7831.59 Yorkshire and HumberContracts YearTotal Contracted UDA ActivityPopulation estimates  (Mid-Year)Mid-Year population estimatesAverage Contracted UDA per Capita2012/1310,028,43220135,647,4781.782013/149,842,51520145,671,3241.742014/159,810,47820155,703,3101.722015/169,798,62620165,739,9681.712016/179,693,83220165,739,9681.69 Bradford South ConstituencyContracts YearTotal Contracted UDA ActivityPopulation estimates  (Mid-Year)Mid-Year population estimatesAverage Contracted UDA per Capita2012/13173,9842013102,4271.702013/14155,8022014103,0601.512014/15157,4682015104,0121.512015/16161,8022016104,6361.552016/17164,0902016104,6361.57

Joint Replacements

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on patients of the number of clinical commissioning groups that have introduced a threshold in access to hip and knee replacements in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Steve Brine: NHS England has not made an assessment of the effect on patients of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) introducing thresholds in access to hip and knee replacements in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire or the United Kingdom. CCGs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. When developing their associated commissioning policies and treatment criteria, we would expect CCGs to take into account any relevant current guidance, and consider the wider context of their actions which may include the costs incurred as a result of setting criteria which may deny or delay treatment for patients requiring surgery. Treatment decisions should always be made by doctors based on patients’ clinical needs.

Prime Minister

Higher Education: Staff

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the hon. Member for Daventry was acting on behalf of the Government when he wrote to university vice-chancellors requesting the names of academic staff who teach European affairs with a particular focus on the UK leaving the EU.

Mrs Theresa May: Free speech is one of the foundations on which our universities are built and this should be protected. This government respects the freedom and independence of universities, and the role they play in creating open and stimulating debate. The hon. Member for Daventry (Mr Heaton-Harris) was acting in his capacity as a member of parliament.